PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (CBS12) — Some frustrated drivers in Port St. Lucie claim they’re being unfairly ticketed in school zones, calling the citations a “money grab.” Police say that’s not the case and insist the enforcement is about keeping kids and crossing guards safe.

Several parents told CBS12 News they support safety in school zones but believe the sign is hard to see and they’re being hit with hefty fines.

Jazmine Ricco, a mom of four and retired police officer, said she was pulled over on Morningside Boulevard while dropping her kids off at school.

Her ticket shows she was going 24 miles per hour in a 15-mile-per-hour school zone, nine miles over the limit. Ricco argues she was clocked before even entering the zone. She said the placement of the sign itself is another problem.

“It just doesn’t seem logical for a sign that you can’t see,” Ricco said. “You have an end road work sign sitting in front of it as well as a tree.”

CBS12 News drove past the sign and confirmed it’s partly blocked, making it easy to miss until you’re right on top of it.

Port St. Lucie Police, however, said the school zone is clearly marked and has been in place for years.

“I understand this is a school zone and I come through here every day, but things are still supposed to be posted so we can actively see where we are and where we’re not,” Ricco said.

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Shantel Luke was also ticketed in a school zone down nearby.

“I don’t want people to speed around here,” Luke said. “I do think it’s a numbers game, unfortunately, and I don’t think it’s safe on behalf of our kids.”

Luke said she was pulled over before entering the zone and argues that stopping cars along Morningside creates a traffic mess and it’s dangerous.

“You have buses from both Morningside Academy and Morningside Elementary trying to get through,” Luke said. “There’s no safe place to pull over. It’s causing more of a disruption and safety issue for students that are walking.”

A spokesperson for the Port St. Lucie Police Department said the Morningside area is not a speed trap — it’s about protecting students. Officers say they’d much rather drivers slow down than have to write tickets.

Police said they’re not just enforcing the speed limit in that school zone; they’re monitoring 19 others across the city.

Both Ricco and Luke said they plan to fight their tickets in court.

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