ORLANDO, Fla. — Starting in January, people speeding through school zones in Orange County may experience a hit to their wallets.

The district is installing speed enforcement cameras in 12 school zones across the county, with another 32 planned to be included over the next two years.

Members of the Orange County Board of County Commissioners chose the locations based on an in-depth traffic study. 

One of the first school zones to receive the new cameras is at Oak Hill Elementary School, where resident Pedro Segobia says reckless driving is a problem.

“They go like crazy driving without looking at the kids and stuff,” he said.

Commissioner Mike Scott, who represents the district that includes Oak Hill Elementary, said the hope is the new cameras will cause drivers to slow down in school zones

“You see so many folks blow past school buses. They hit kids that are walking,” he said. “In my district alone, we’ve had just under 40 accidents involving young people, even crossing guards.”

The camera systems are expected to be active in the 12 chosen school zones by January 2027.

Shawn Bell, project coordinator in Orange County’s Traffic Engineering Division, said the county is negotiating a $1-million contract to hire RedSpeed USA to provide the enforcement systems.

“The system is mounted on a pole — it uses radar, lidar to detect the speed of vehicles going through the speed zone,” Bell said.

The system is automated, but Bell said the Orange County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Enforcement team will review each case before a ticket is issued.

“That’s to make sure all of the elements are demonstratable, make sure that they are speeding, that they are in the school zone, and that the tag and all of the evidence does line up,” Bell said.

RedSpeed USA provided a statement regarding the cameras, saying: “When kids are in school, safety comes first. School zone speed safety cameras are a data-driven and proven technology to reduce dangerous driving and keep Florida families safe. These cameras extend the reach of local law enforcement officers, providing consistent enforcement at high-risk intersections without adding strain to already stretched departments. Our goal is to change driver behavior before a violation becomes a tragedy.”

 “There are reduced speed limits for a reason in school zones,” Bell said. “So, we definitely want behaviors to change.”

According to information from the county, drivers will receive a warning during the first 30 days of the program, and then $100 tickets after that.