TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – A recent court ruling in Tallahassee could stir new implications for the city\u2019s school speed zone camera program.<\/p>\n
A judge threw out one resident\u2019s citation in September after officers failed to independently prove the time and day the offense happened. <\/p>\n
The case opened last April after a driver was given notice of violation for allegedly speeding on North Martin Luther King Boulevard.<\/p>\n
The man was given a citation for $213 and later challenged it in Tallahassee court.<\/p>\n
His attorney, Jeremy Cohen, asked that the case be dismissed, primarily on the grounds that the officer had no personal knowledge of the offense\u2019s exact date and time. <\/p>\n
State statute<\/a> requires that camera data be manually reviewed and confirmed by an enforcement officer before a citation is issued.<\/p>\n The cameras must also be shown to be accurate and properly calibrated before being used as evidence.<\/p>\n More Tallahassee news:<\/p>\n A judge ruled that the case could not move forward without the officer\u2019s confirmation.<\/p>\n Cohen said the ruling could add to ongoing discussions statewide over the future of speed zone cameras.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are 67 counties in Florida,\u201d Cohen said. \u201cThey\u2019re running these programs all over the place. Every registered owner should be able to beat the Red Speed school zone vendor camera based on this order if the state can\u2019t prove the exact date and time of the infraction.\u201d<\/p>\n The Tallahassee School Zone Speed Enforcement Program was launched in 2025.<\/p>\n More than 46,000 violations were logged last school year.<\/p>\n WCTV reached out to the Tallahassee Police Department for comment on Wednesday and Thursday and has not heard back. <\/p>\n To keep up with the latest news as it develops, follow WCTV on Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, Nextdoor<\/a> <\/a>and X<\/a> (Twitter<\/a>).<\/p>\n Have a news tip or see an error? Write to us here<\/a>. Please include the article\u2019s headline in your message.<\/p>\n Be the first to see all the biggest headlines by downloading the WCTV News app. Click here<\/a> to get started.<\/p>\n Copyright 2026 WCTV. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n