Orange County installing speed cameras at 12 schools: Here's where, when, what to know

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. - Orange County plans to install a dozen speed enforcement cameras in school zones throughout the county. It's the latest tool that is part of a multi-year safety initiative aimed at protecting students and staff, and reducing speeding in school zones.

Here is what we know about where the cameras will be installed, around which schools, how they will work, and when those cameras will begin issuing traffic citations.

Where will the 12 cameras be installed?

• Dr. Phillps Elementary School, Wallace Road near Sunbeam Avenue
• Hunters Creek Elementary School, Town Center Boulevard near Lord Barclay Drive
• Rock Springs Elementary School, Rock Springs Road near Faye Street
• Meadowbrook Middle School, North Lane near Wendy Drive, and Powers Drive near Chalet Court
• Three Points Elementary School, SR 551 near Mai Tai Drive
• Sally Ride Elementary School, Fourth Street near Eighth Avenue
• Discovery Middle School, Lake Underhill Road near Spring Island Way
• Southcreek Middle School, Wetherbee Road near Cypress Pond Boulevard
• Wedgefield K-8, Bancroft Boulevard near Ortega Street
• Cheney Elementary School, Forsyth Road near Dominion Avenue
• Oak Hill Elementary School, Hiawassee Road near Tallowtree Lane
• Palmetto Elementary School, Texas Avenue near Duskin Avenue

The initial 12 schools were selected based on the results of traffic studies, as well as input from Orange County commissioners. Officials expect more cameras to be installed at more of its schools over the next several years.

"For me, I chose Hiawassee and Oak Hill Elementary because we had a number of pedestrian accidents there," said Orange County Commissioner Michael Scott, District 6.

"My first year in office, we had crossing guard get hit by a car in front of Hiawasee."

What they're saying:

Orange County Public Schools (OCPS) supports the new cameras:

"Orange County government identified the locations through their traffic study and will be the entity to manage the program. The safety of our students and staff is the highest priority, especially in school zones throughout the county. The district appreciates the efforts of Orange County and our law enforcement partners," said Michael Ollendorff, Administrator of Media Relations for Orange County Public Schools.

30-day warning after cameras go live. Here's when.

Timeline:

The cameras will be installed over the next several months, which means they will not be live for the start of the 2026 school year. The cameras will go live on Jan. 27, 2027, followed by a 30-day mandatory warning period.

After that 30-day period, citations will begin to be issued.

How much will a traffic camera fine be?

Issued traffic citations will come with a $100 fine, officials said.

OCSO: Deputies will verify every traffic violation before being issued

Dig deeper:

To prevent automated errors, the county is requiring human verification for every recorded infraction on the cameras.

"We're all human drivers, so we want to make sure humans are enforcing it. Not AI, not computer-generated," said Shawn Bell, project coordinator of traffic engineering for Orange County Public Works.

Each potential violation will be individually evaluated by traffic enforcement officers with the Orange County Sheriff's Office before a ticket is generated.

"We are confident that in Orange County, the placement of the cameras will be lawful and correct," the Orange County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.

How much will the cameras cost?

By the numbers:

"The camera fee is $33.99 per month, per camera, so the initial cost of the cameras for the startup is $81,000 for the first month," Bell said, project coordinator of traffic engineering for Orange County Public Works.

"And then, since there will be a 30-day initial warning period and then the notices will start varying out, [it will cost] probably roughly $240,000 before notices start getting paid."

County leaders expect to make that money back through traffic citations and fines, which will eventually pay for the future of the program.

Orange County partners with RedSpeed over school zone cameras

Orange County has contracted with RedSpeed USA, an Illinois-based company, that operates several types of photo cameras used by law enforcement.

RedSpeed is the same company that the City of Palm Bay contracted with to manage traffic cameras at some of its intersections in 2024, but ultimately decided to cancel the contract and remove the cameras because of several issues, including some of those cameras potentially being installed too close to roadways in violation of Florida law and FDOT guidelines, and for allegedly issuing disputed citations.

In a statement at the time, RedSpeed said in a statement to FOX 35 that its cameras were installed with the proper permits, permissions, and approvals.

Orange County leaders said they are aware of the issues that were reported in Palm Bay, and that they're working with RedSpeed closely. 

"They are the best price for the public dollar. And so, we'll see what happens," Commissioner Scott said. "But we have flexibility where if they don't deliver at the degree that is outlined in the contract, then we can certainly terminate for convenience."

Public Works officials added that they are monitoring the situation closely to avoid similar missteps.

"We've been watching all the news very closely. We want to make sure that we don't follow – we don't have those same issues," Bell said. "Our plan with RedSpeed is to work very closely with them to ensure that we're following state statute and FDOT guidelines as closely as possible to make sure this is done right."

FOX 35 reached out to RedSpeed on Thursday ahead of our reporting for comment. We did not hear back.