Panel supports turning off red-light cameras

BY THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

A House committee Thursday approved a bill that would bar local governments from using red-light cameras to cite motorists who don't properly stop at intersections.

The House Economic Affairs Committee backed the proposal (HB 4027), filed by Rep. Frank Artiles, a Miami Republican who has long opposed the cameras. The bill would repeal a 2010 law that authorized the use of the cameras.

Critics, such as Artiles, argue the cameras don't improve traffic safety and that local governments rely on red-light camera citations as a source of revenue. "It's not about safety,'' Artiles said. "It's about money."

But Florida League of Cities lobbyist Casey Cook said cities should be allowed to develop solutions to their local problems. The bill would need approval from the House Appropriations Committee before it could go to the full House. A similar Senate bill (SB 168), filed by Senate Transportation Chairman Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, has not been heard in committees.