As School Zone Ticketing Begins in Boca Raton, One School Has Generated More Warnings Than Any Other

Boca Raton’s first tranche of speed enforcement cameras placed in several school zones around the city began issuing tickets Thursday after a grace period to begin the 2025-26 school year. The initial data, according to the city, has shown that the area around one particular school has accounted for almost half of the warnings generated by the system since it came online over a month ago.

Since launching Sept. 2, the cameras have captured about 1,300 motorists who met the criteria to be issued a ticket, though they were sent warnings during the grace period. Now, drivers will be fined $100 when they drive 10 miles per hour over the school speed limit while the lights on adjacent school zone signs are flashing.

School speed cameras and zone signs near the J.C. Mitchell Elementary School. (Photo: Boca Daily News)

School speed cameras and zone signs near the J.C. Mitchell Elementary School. (Photo: Boca Daily News)

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City data shows nearly 50 percent of the warnings were linked to cameras around the J.C. Mitchell Elementary School on NW 5th Avenue. Along NW 5th Avenue in the school zone, the speed limit during pickup and dropoff periods is reduced from 30 m.p.h. to 15 m.p.h., meaning vehicles doing 25 m.p.h. or more – still less than the regular speed limit – will receive tickets. The speed limit on the back end of the school, along NW Boca Raton Boulevard (2nd Avenue) drops to 20 m.p.h. when alert lights are flashing. The tickets are civil infraction – not moving violations – and do not result in points on a driver’s license or insurance penalties.

The city began its speed enforcement camera program at three school properties and plan to expand it to four more by the midpoint of the school year. The list of schools is published below.

In April, the city approved a contract with RedSpeed Florida to provide the first tranche of cameras as part of a pilot program. The locations had not been decided at the time, largely due to the fact that Boca Raton officials were tasked with determining jurisdictional issues since many schools are located on county roadways. The speed camera program is limited to city roadways, and authorized by the city council pursuant to a 2023 law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis that permitted the cameras with local approval.

For each $100 fine collected by RedSpeed, the company will receive $21. The city will receive a payment of $39 to be used for “city public safety initiatives,” as permissible under the law. The remaining $40 from each fine will be distributed to various funds mandated by law, with $5 going to the city for the School Crossing Guard Recruitment and Retention Program, $12 to the Palm Beach County School District, $20 to the Florida General Fund, and $3 to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Training.

School speed cameras and zone signs near the J.C. Mitchell Elementary School. (Photo: Boca Daily News)

School speed cameras and zone signs near the J.C. Mitchell Elementary School. (Photo: Boca Daily News)

Each violation will be reviewed by a sworn police officer, then-City Manager George Brown said at the time the program was approved, though in the future, civilians with specific training may be authorized to review camera footage and determine if a notice should be sent.

Locally, Delray Beach is also considering a speed camera program for school zones, though it has yet to be enacted. Deerfield Beach already has such a program in place, and Boynton Beach is well-known for its red light camera enforcement regime. Manatee County, one of the first jurisdictions to pilot the school-specific program, rescinded its approval after public backlash. Much of the opposition, however, centered around complaints that cameras were generating tickets during periods when school was not in session and warning lights were not flashing – a problem Boca Raton avoided before implementing the technology.