A Florida driver is spending more money fighting a school bus camera ticket than the violation itself is worth \u2014 and he says it’s a matter of principle.<\/p>\n
Stanley Shultz is now appealing a judge’s ruling that upheld a $225 violation he received after a school bus camera captured him allegedly passing a stopped bus illegally. The second appeal alone cost him $293 just to file \u2014 more than the original fine.<\/p>\n
WATCH BELOW: Florida driver appeals school bus camera ticket twice<\/p>\n
Florida driver appeals school bus camera ticket twice<\/p>\n
“I don’t think I’m necessarily guilty of this,” Shultz said.<\/p>\n
Combined with his original $225 fine and a $45 court fee from his first appeal, Shultz now faces nearly $600 in violation and court fees to prove his innocence.<\/p>\n
The dispute began in October when Shultz was caught on camera passing a school bus in Hillsborough County with its stop arm deployed. However, video from his citation shows the bus’ warning lights did not flash before the bus stopped and its stop arm deployed \u2014 the moment Shultz can be seen driving past it. He appealed and lost. In a recent investigation, Investigative reporter Katie LaGrone found that most drivers who try and appeal their violations lose.<\/p>\n
When asked why he didn’t simply pay the fine and move on, Shultz said he believes the system is fundamentally flawed.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Florida Investigative Team<\/p>\n ‘100% it\u2019s a money grab’: Fla school bus cameras generate millions for schools<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n “I don’t think the process is correct. I don’t think the judges have the right policies and procedures to hear people out in very specific cases,” Shultz said.<\/p>\n Shultz’s latest appeal follows a new class action lawsuit<\/a> in which he is named as a plaintiff. The suit accuses the Hillsborough County School District and for-profit camera vendor Bus Patrol of operating a bus camera appeals process that violates state law by employing non-local judges to hear cases.<\/p>\n