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Red-Light Cameras Banned in Unincorporated Miami-Dade County

The backlash against red light cameras conintues. The Miami-Dade County Commission voted this week to rescind the county's power to install the cameras in unincorporated areas. That means you'll never see red light cameras in places like Kendall, Westchester, Brownsville and The Redlands.  Back in 2011, the County Commission tentatively...

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The backlash against red-light cameras continues. The Miami-Dade County Commission voted yesterday to rescind the county's power to install the cameras in unincorporated areas. That means you'll never see red-light cameras in places such as Kendall, Westchester, Brownsville, and the Redland. 

In 2011, the commission tentatively hopped onboard the red-light camera craze and voted to give the county power to install the equipment in unincorporated areas. The idea was that the devices would provide a steady stream of semiautomated revenue while, in theory at least, keeping streets safer. The county even got as far as putting out a procurement order for 150 red-light cameras in 2015.  

However, the county never installed any of those cameras — perhaps because of both popular and legal backlash against the devices. Judges have ruled against certain aspects of red-light camera programs in other municipalities. Efforts to ban the cameras throughout Florida have been introduced in the past few legislative sessions with bipartisan support, although a bill has not yet been passed. 

Indeed, the ordinance sponsored by Miami-Dade Commissioner Rebecca Sosa notes the uncertain legal future of red-light cameras. 

"The fact that recent legislative and judicial action had shifted certain responsibilities and costs of red light camera programs to law enforcement as opposed to vendors, a lack of a firm revenue model, and pending judicial rulings and legislation that may further alter or eliminate red light camera programs, the report recommended that the County not implement a red-light camera program," reads a portion of the legislation. 

The new rule, however, extends to unincorporated Miami-Dade only and has no impact on red-light cameras operated by cities and towns within the county. 

Miami-Dade is not the first local government to backtrack on the cameras. North Miami removed all of its red-light cameras last year