Police officers issuing warnings for first 30 days
On Monday, Jan. 6, the City of Sarasota, in partnership with the Sarasota Police Department, implemented a new School Speed Zone Safety Program in six school zones to enhance student safety, the city announced.
Cameras are operating during school hours, “activating 30 minutes before school starts and deactivating 30 minutes after school ends,” a news release explains. They will not monitor traffic outside those hours or on weekends or during holidays, the release adds.
“When active, the cameras will capture images of vehicles exceeding the posted speed limit by 10 miles per hour or more,” the release points out. “After a thorough review by the Sarasota Police Department,” the release continues, a $100 fine will be issued to the registered owner of a vehicle recorded committing a violation. Vehicle owners will have 30 days to pay the fine, “submit an affidavit, or request a hearing,” the release says. “Failure to do so will result in a Uniform Traffic Citation.”
However, the release notes, for the first 30 days, the Police Department will issue warnings only, “to allow drivers to adjust to the new program,” the release adds. “After this period, violations will result in penalties.”
The Sarasota Police Department “will keep the members of the community informed about the program’s status through social media,” the release points out.
The program will involve the following schools: Alta Vista Elementary, Southside Elementary, Tuttle Elementary, Sarasota Military Academy, Sarasota High School and Cardinal Mooney High School.
During the regular meeting of the Sarasota City Commission on July 1, 2024, representatives of the Police Department reported on a five-day study that the agency had pursued to determine whether to advocate for the safety program made possible by a 2023 state law.
Among the data collected during the study, the Police Department recorded 17,445 violations of speeding in the zone for Cardinal Mooney High School, which stands at 4171 Fruitville Road.
The time frame for the study was March 18 through March 22, 2024, the report said.
Capt. Demetri Konstantopoulos of the Sarasota Police Department’s Support Services Division told the commissioners that the numbers of violations that the department found “were really quite shocking.”
“Our goal is to reinforce these school zones,” he said, “because our officers can’t be in every school zone,” even though the department, he noted, has “a very robust traffic unit.”
He added that Southside Elementary School, whose campus is on Webber Street, between Osprey Avenue and U.S. 41, “had significant data,” as well.
The Police Department report logged more than 10,000 violations for Southside’s four school safety zones — along South Tamiami Trail (3,624), along South Osprey Avenue (3,160) and along Webber Street east of U.S. 41 (2,721), and along Webber west of U.S. 41 (633).
The study report also noted that 2,357 violations occurred at Sarasota Military Academy on North Orange Avenue; and more than 2,900 were recorded within just two Tuttle Elementary’s two safety zones: Lime Avenue — 1,804; and Lockwood Ridge Road — 1,154.
The benchmark for a school to be included in the program was 100 or more violations per day, Detective John Lake, who was with the Criminal Investigations Division at that time, pointed out.
To learn more about the program, the city release says, members of the public may watch the School Speed Zone Safety Program public service announcement on the Police Department’s YouTube Channel, visit the program FAQ page on the Sarasota Police Department website, or follow the department on its social media platforms.