Miami's Strictest Traffic Zones: Why School Areas Are Heavily Enforced and What That Means for You
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By PAGE Editor
The last thing you want to hear after you get home from work is that you got a ticket in a school zone.
Miami-Dade County has been enforcing school zones more strictly than ever. Speed cameras are watching you, and fines are piling up.
Here's the deal.
If you have ever driven through a school zone in Miami, you need to read this. You need to know what you are getting into.
What you'll learn:
Why Miami Cracks Down Hard on School Zones
How School Zone Cameras Actually Work
The Real Cost of a School Zone Ticket
What Happens If You Ignore Your Ticket
How to Handle a School Zone Violation
Why Miami Cracks Down Hard on School Zones
Kids aren't the only ones getting hurt in school zones.
Miami-Dade's downtown area has some of the most dangerous school zones in Florida. In recent years, there have been nearly 2,300 crashes involving vehicles near schools. Florida is consistently ranked among the worst states for pedestrian accidents.
The data backs up Miami's strict enforcement of school zones.
Drivers speeding through school zones cause nearly 25,000 child injuries in the US each year. Accidents occur when drivers are in a rush, don't pay attention, or are distracted. Often, the vehicles don't even stop.
Miami-Dade County's goal is to slow you down and keep kids safe. That's why it implemented the RedSpeed camera program last school year (2024-2025).
Miami-Dade installed cameras in more than 200 school zones in unincorporated Miami. The cameras will be monitoring speeds 24/7.
Drivers that get caught in the act of speeding through a school zone will get ticketed. You can get help fighting a school zone ticket Miami violations from professionals who understand the laws inside and out. But more on that later.
How School Zone Cameras Actually Work
Miami-Dade County has a public-private partnership with a company called RedSpeed to operate the camera program.
Here's how they catch you in the act:
Camera systems snap still photos of your vehicle and license plate. They record your vehicle's speed and other details. The date, time, and location of the alleged violation are also recorded. All information is encrypted and transmitted to a secure off-site server.
If you are caught by a school zone camera, you will not have a police officer pulling you over. You will receive a Notice of Violation by mail with all the evidence attached.
The cameras are only active during the following times:
30 minutes before and after the beginning of breakfast programs at a school
30 minutes before and after the beginning of school
The school day session
30 minutes before and after the end of the school day session
If you read the above list, you may think that when the yellow lights are not flashing during the school day, you won't get a ticket.
Wrong.
During the normal school day hours, you can still get a ticket if you are going 10+ mph over the regularly posted speed limit. If that happens, the cameras will flash, and you will get a ticket.
The Real Cost of a School Zone Ticket
School zone tickets are expensive.
The base fine for camera-monitored school zone violations is $100. You have 30 days to pay the fine.
If you are a Miami driver, you know the fun doesn't end at $100 and a single ticket. If you don't pay within the 30-day window, the ticket count and cost continue to rise.
Miami-Dade has issued more than 236,000 tickets since the program launched in November 2024. The county generated over $23 million from the fines. The cost of the fines doubled for anyone who did not pay on time.
One Miami resident received two citations at $219 each after the deadline had passed.
Traditional police-issued school zone tickets carry more penalties. Fines are as follows:
1-9 mph over posted speed limit: $50 with no warnings
10-14 mph over posted speed limit: $150
15-19 mph over posted speed limit: $225
20-29 mph over posted speed limit: $350
30+ mph over posted speed limit: Potential driver's license suspension
Tickets carry three points added to your driving record. That could be on your record for years. School zone speeding tickets can increase your insurance premiums for a while.
What Happens If You Ignore Your Ticket
You should never ignore your ticket.
If you do not respond to the Notice of Violation within 30 days, Miami-Dade sends out a Florida Uniform Traffic Citation. That's a real traffic ticket, and you can face real consequences.
The county will suspend your driving privileges. It will add on more court costs. The original $100 fine turns into something a lot more significant.
The good news is that the camera tickets won't add points to your license. That is only if you pay or deal with it in the proper manner.
Miami-Dade Police Department police-issued tickets do not fall under the camera program. Those add points and show up on your driving record.
How to Handle a School Zone Violation
Got a ticket? Here's what to do.
You can pay the fine of $100 within 30 days for camera-issued violations.
You can sign and submit an affidavit that someone other than you was driving the car.
You can request an administrative hearing to dispute the violation.
What many people don't know is that many school zone tickets can be successfully challenged. If any signage is incorrect or the camera system is out of compliance, your ticket is at risk.
The timing of the violation is also essential. The cameras must have captured your violation during the official times for school zones. Did the county record your speed after the bell rang?
Miami school zone ticket lawyers can evaluate your case. Find the weak spots in the county's claims. Oftentimes the timestamps do not match. The calibration was not done regularly. Many other ways your ticket can get dismissed or reduced.
Here are some of the common defenses:
Signage was not up to code. This includes obscured school zone speed limit signs
Camera malfunctions, poor calibration, or out-of-date equipment
The school zone times were incorrect or not enforced properly
Emergency situations that required faster driving through a school zone
Not every school zone ticket can be beaten. But a lot of them can. The county made mistakes that can lead to the ticket getting tossed or penalties being reduced.
Avoiding Future School Zone Tickets
Prevention is always the best offense.
There are some simple things to do to avoid getting caught in the act again. Pay attention if you are driving near schools in Miami:
You can assume the cameras are always on.
Slow down 30 minutes before school starts.
Keep an eye out the entire school day.
Look out for flashing yellow lights and crossing guards.
Put your phone away. (Handheld use is illegal)
The speed limit in Florida school zones is 20 mph when children are present. A lot of these tickets are for people going 11 or 12 mph over the posted speed limit.
Don't let an impulse cost you a $100+ ticket.
Wrapping It All Up
Miami school zones are the strictest traffic zones in South Florida for good reason.
Kids are getting injured, and the county is doubling down on enforcement with aggressive camera programs. It has cameras monitoring over 200 school zones in unincorporated Miami.
Here's what you need to remember:
Camera ticket base fines start at $100. It doubles if not paid within 30 days.
You can contest camera-issued tickets, and it won't affect your driving record.
Traditional police-issued tickets have steeper fines and add points.
A lot of these tickets have mistakes that can lead to dismissal.
If you have received a school zone violation, you should not panic. You should know your options. Pay attention to the deadlines.
Miami-Dade has a six-year contract for the camera program. Enforcement isn't going anywhere. Learning how to drive in these strict traffic zones is part of driving in South Florida.
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