Miami, Florida – Two Republican members of the legislature are pushing to let voters decide if state and local governments should stop using red-light cameras. Senator Ileana Garcia from Miami introduced a plan for constitutional amendment (SJR 1042) on Wednesday. Her plan aims to stop using devices that detect traffic violations, but it wouldn’t affect cameras in school speed zones.
On December 8, Representative David Borrero from Sweetwater also put forward a similar constitutional amendment (HJR 805) that seeks to ban red-light cameras.
These proposals are set to be looked at in the 2024 legislative session, starting on January 9. Over the past ten years, lawmakers have regularly tried to get rid of a law that led to what’s known as the Mark Wandall Traffic Safety Program.
This program, named in memory of a man who died after someone ran a red light in 2010, allowed red-light cameras to be used all over the state.
To get these proposals by Garcia and Borrero on the voting ballot, they need to be backed by 60 percent of both the House and Senate. Also, 60 percent of voters would need to agree to make a constitutional amendment.
