Boca Raton Chooses Seven School Zones Where Speed Cameras Will Be Installed

A school zone notice in Boca Raton, Fla. (Photo: Boca Daily News)

Boca Raton officials have announced three school zones in town where cameras will cite drivers who violate the speed limit when classes resume next month, with another four planned later in the 2025-26 school year.

In April, the city approved a contract with RedSpeed Florida to provide the first tranche of cameras as part of a pilot program. The locations had not been decided at the time, largely due to the fact that Boca Raton officials were tasked with determining jurisdictional issues since many schools are located on county roadways. The speed camera program is limited to city roadways, and authorized by the city council pursuant to a 2023 law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis that permitted the cameras with local approval.

The city announced Tuesday that the cameras would be installed at Addison Mizner Elementary School, Boca Raton Community High School and J.C. Mitchell Elementary School. An additional four schools would have cameras installed under a second phase of the program: Blue Lake Elementary School, Calusa Elementary School, Omni Middle School and Spanish River Community High School. The hours and addresses of each are listed in the chart below the next paragraph of this story.

According to officials,  citations will be automatically issued during arrival and dismissal times when the school zone lights are flashing. The program will begin with a grace period during which warnings will be sent out rather than violations. After that period ends, violation notices for $100 will be mailed to the registered owner of a vehicle that violates the speed limit. Since camera systems cannot be cross-examined in court, the violations would not accrue points on drivers’ licenses, nor would they affect insurance rates. If the registered owner of the vehicle was not driving, the owner will be required to file an affidavit with the city proving they were not driving.

For each $100 fine collected by RedSpeed, the company will receive $21. The city will receive a payment of $39 to be used for “city public safety initiatives,” as permissible under the law. The remaining $40 from each fine will be distributed to various funds mandated by law, with $5 going to the city for the School Crossing Guard Recruitment and Retention Program, $12 to the Palm Beach County School District, $20 to the Florida General Fund, and $3 to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Training.

Each violation will be reviewed by a sworn police officer, said City Manager George Brown, though in the future, civilians with specific training may be authorized to review camera footage and determine if a notice should be sent.

Locally, Delray Beach is also considering a speed camera program for school zones, though it has yet to be enacted. Deerfield Beach already has such a program in place, and Boynton Beach is well-known for its red light camera enforcement regime. Manatee County, one of the first jurisdictions to pilot the school-specific program, rescinded its approval after public backlash.