Davie Partners With Controversial Traffic Cam Company for School Zone Speed Monitoring

Drivers in Davie will have to start slowing down through school zones if they want to avoid hefty fines.

On February 28, Verra Mobility Corp. announced it has teamed up with the Town of Davie to implement speed-detection cameras in school zones around town. The effort will expand the town's current enforcement system to include 35 speed-camera locations in school zones.

"The Town of Davie program is the first in the state of Florida to partner with our state-of-the-art camera enforcement program," reads the press release announcing the partnership.

Davie Police Chief Stephen Kinsey said that the cameras will ensure safer driving throughout the town's school zones, which the department does not have the resources to constantly monitor. He did not specify a timeline for when the installation will be complete.

"With 50 school zones, limited staffing, and other demands for service, it becomes challenging to cover each zone every day, and unfortunately, impatient and distracted drivers pose the greatest risk," he added in the news release.

Described as a "global leader in smart transportation," Verra offers red light, speed, and school bus "stop arm" camera enforcement. Formerly known as American Traffic Solutions, the company rebranded as Verra Mobility Corporation in 2018 following acquisitions of Highway Toll Administration and Euro Parking Collection. (Highway Toll Administration was founded by David Centner, a Miami-based tech entrepreneur who cofounded the Centner Academy private school at the center of former Miami commissioner Alex Díaz de la Portilla's bribery case.)

Davie says the revenue from its new safety cameras will fund public safety initiatives and a school crossing guard program. The town's contract with Verra Mobility for school zone speed enforcement has a five-year term with an option to extend for an additional five years. (A list of the planned locations for the new cameras is attached at the bottom of this article.)

The speed cameras will begin operating thirty minutes before the start of school and will shut down thirty minutes after a school closes, according to the town.

Verra has had red-light cameras in place in Davie since 2011.

The town's new program was facilitated by a 2023 state law that allows Florida municipalities and counties to install speed-safety cameras in school zones. Under the legislation, which took effect this past June, a driver traveling more than ten miles per hour over the speed limit during school hours can receive a $100 fine through a camera-enforced ticket, though no points will be assessed on their license.

In January, the Miami-Dade Commission approved a school zone speed-camera deal with Illinois-based traffic enforcement company RedSpeed, which the county estimates could rake in $144 million for Miami-Dade and $71 million for the company over a multi-year period.

Arizona-based Verra has been at the center of debate over automated traffic-safety enforcement in Florida since the dawn of the technology's rollout in the state.

The company was an early player in Florida's red-light camera market, which spawned years of legal battles and criticism that cities were using the cameras as a cash cow rather than to improve safety. Studies have shown red-light cameras have led to more crashes at some intersections, as drivers slam on their brakes in fear of getting a fine. (As for speed enforcement cameras, a widely cited meta-analysis found that they do reduce crash rates.)

A state appeals court ruled in 2015 that the company's red-light traffic program with the City of Hollywood was invalid because it improperly delegated ticket-issuing authority to a private entity. Local governments that contract with Verra have since taken steps to ensure law enforcement officers review and sign off on each citation generated by the company's cameras.

Verra — which, at the time of its rebranding, had more than 4,000 enforcement cameras operating in more than 200 jurisdictions — has had its fair share of controversies over the past few years. 

In 2020, Verra was sued by a whistleblower and New York City over allegations that it installed noncompliant and unnecessary electric poles and billed the city millions of dollars for the work. In March 2021, the New York City Department of Investigation appointed a three-year-long independent monitor to oversee the company because of "concerns about deficiencies with respect to Verra's installation of photo enforcement cameras." Verra ultimately paid $1.3 million to settle the litigation.

Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration acknowledged in the settlement agreement that it could have pursued civil charges against the company under the New York False Claims Act, according to the New York Daily News.

In 2018, the company was slapped with a potential class action lawsuit by Steven Pincus, who claimed a $7.90 credit card fee, which Verra added to his $158 fine for a North Miami Beach red-light violation, was a form of unjust enrichment.

Pincus' case was fielded in the Florida Supreme Court after the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals asked the court to decide if the company violated state law. The justices struck down Pincus' claim, finding that the company's option to pay via credit card "gave value in exchange" for the fee.