[tabi] Changes to red light camera program

From: Erica <ericamccaul@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: tabi@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Mon, 1 Jul 2013 07:27:51 -0400 (EDT)
      State Law Prompts Changes to
 Red Light Camera Safety Program    June 27, 2013
   New Process Effective July 1 - The City of Tallahassee is  preparing to make 
changes to its Red Light Camera Safety Program in  response to House Bill 7125 
that was signed into law by Governor Rick  Scott earlier this month.
   The new law requires that, effective July 1, violators be given 60  days to 
pay the $158 fine for running a red light. Currently, payment of  the fine must 
be received by the City’s vendor within 30 days of the  date the notice of 
violation was mailed to the vehicle’s owner.
   Also, under current state law, a person who has been issued a notice  of 
violation for running a red light at a monitored intersection and  wishes to 
challenge the violation must elect to not pay the fine, which  will result in 
the issuance of a uniform traffic citation. At that  point, the violator may 
request a hearing through the traffic court. The  new law requires the 
establishment of an appeal process through which  red light violators have the 
opportunity to contest notices of violation  prior to the issuance of a uniform 
traffic citation, which carries a  $271 fine.
   As part of the new procedure, the City will implement a hearing  process 
which will designate a clerk responsible for processing hearing  requests and 
scheduling those hearings before a designated hearing  officer. The hearing 
officer will take testimony, review evidence  including photographs and a video 
recording of the violation, and  determine whether to dismiss or uphold the 
$158 fine. Any appeal of the  hearing officer’s decision will be to the circuit 
court.
   Costs for the hearing officer and clerk position will be funded from  
administrative fees paid by the violators. The fee amount charged to the  
violator for filing an appeal has not yet been determined but will be  
commensurate with administrative fees incurred in supporting the appeals  
process.
   "This program has been effective in deterring drivers from running  red 
lights and reducing the risk for serious traffic collisions in our  community,” 
said Rick Courtemanche, Assistant City Attorney. “This new  administrative 
process will double the amount of time violators have to  pay their fines and 
allow anyone who feels they received a violation in  error the opportunity to 
contest it sooner rather than later.”
   The City's Red Light Camera Safety Program started on August 1, 2010,  and 
since that time, the city has seen major decreases in violations,  as great as 
90 percent, compared to before the cameras were installed.
   For more information on the program and a complete list of monitored 
intersections, visit Talgov.com. To receive updates follow @COTTraffic on 
Twitter and/or sign up for the City’s email subscription service to receive 
general news releases at Talgov.com.
  Contact Information  Rick Courtemanche, City Attorney’s Office, 891-8554; or 
Alison Faris, Communications Department, 891-8533
[tabi] Changes to red light camera program

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