Bradenton School Zone Cameras Reduce Speeding Violations
By Lisa Neff
The lesson some drivers still haven’t learned in Bradenton? Slow down near schools.
Since the start of the 2025-26 K-12 academic year, speed cameras in zones near certain schools have captured 3,541 violations, with one motorist clocking 67 mph, according to new statistics from the Bradenton Police Department.
Speed zone cameras are located at certain schools in the city, with locations and enforcement hours publicly posted online at bradentonpd.com/schoolzonecameras, as well as on signage in the zones.
Violations carry consequences: Citations are sent to the registered owners of vehicles exceeding the posted speed limit by 10 mph or more during the full school day — not just school arrival and departure times but from 30 minutes before classes begin to 30 minutes after.
Photo-enforced zones are at Ballard Elementary, Bradenton Christian, JP Miller Elementary, Manatee Elementary on 15th Street East, Manatee High, Moody Elementary, Sugg Middle, Prine Elementary, GD Rogers Elementary and Sea Breeze Elementary.
During a Nov. 12 meeting, the Bradenton City Council received and approved an annual school zone speed camera report for submission to the state.
BPD’s speed zone specialist, Jeremy Giddens, reviewed the report, citing details from his memo to Chief of Police Josh Cramer.
The data shows that speeding continues in school zones but there has been increased compliance with the posted limits.
When a traffic study was conducted March 12, 2024 — before the program began — 3,464 vehicles speed through the zones by 11 miles per hour or higher. A year later, the number of speeding vehicles for the month of March was 326, a 90.58% decrease.
The numbers jumped up in the first weeks of the 2025-26 school year, but then began a decline. Consider:
• 2,376 violations for Aug. 11-Sept. 10.
• 1,259 violations for Sept. 11-Oct. 11.
“Every which way I run these numbers, it is an effective program,” Giddens said, adding that improved safety extends into neighborhoods around the zones.
The city’s camera program began in mid-2024 following the 2023 passage of House Bill 657 authorizing counties and cities to enforce speed limits in school zones through speed detection systems and then the completion of a spring 2024 speedy study in certain Bradenton spots.
From Oct. 1, 2024-Sept. 30, 2025, 16,937 violation notices were issued in the city.
The highest school zone speed recorded during that period was 73 mph. “We’re talking about interstate speeds on a local road in front of a school,” Giddens said. “That’s why we have the program.”
Of the notices from Oct. 1, 2024-Sept. 30, 2025, 2,928 violations were converted to uniform traffic citations,
Giddens said 10,460 violations were paid, resulting in a collection exceeding $1 million.
The collections were distributed in accordance with state law, including $389,766 for city public safety initiatives, $200,180 to the Florida Department of Revenue, more than $30,000 to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement training fund, $120,108 to the School District of Manatee for enhancements and safety, $50,045 to support the school crossing guard program and more than $200,000 to RedSpeed, a service contractor.
Giddens and city council members emphasized that the goal is not to generate revenue but to stop speeding.
“Anything we can do. I’m fully in support of slowing down traffic and getting people to pay attention,” said Council member Kemp Schuessler.
Looking to next year, there might be another camera installed.
The Florida Department of Transportation has concluded that a zone is warranted in front of Manatee Elementary on State Road 64/Manatee Avenue, with installation set to begin next month during the winter break in classes.
Next, there could be a traffic study to determine whether the new zone warrants speed enforcement with cameras, according to Giddens.
The council received the report as part of its new business agenda, alongside items ranging from housing authority agreements to public works engineering updates.