Tampa Red Light Runners Get To Face Off Against The Cameras That Ticketed Them

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Tampa driver’s who were ticketed for running a red light got their chance to face off against the red light cameras on Monday but as in almost every other Florida county the drivers did not fare very well. Of the 12 people who showed up to challenge their fines for running a red light, only two had their tickets dismissed.

TampaBay.com sent reporter Jessica Vander Velde to the County Center to watch as Hillsborough County citizens tried to persuade a special magistrate that their red light tickets were unjustified. Almost all of them failed. The cameras are already used by Hillsborough County, Kenneth City, Port Richey, Temple Terrace and Brooksville. They are close to being installed in St. Pete and the
city of Tampa is looking into the red light cameras as well.…

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March 22, 2010

Lakeland Driver Hit By Train Lucky All He Got Was A Traffic Ticket

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Christopher Zazarine was hit by an Amtrak train after trying to race across the tracks and in this case he is lucky all he has to show for it is a Florida traffic ticket. According to TBO.com the Lakeland man survived his collision with a passenger train with a few aches and pains and a traffic citation or two for failure to obey a railroad signal and failure to obey a traffic control device.

According to the story Zararine was driving a Dodge Charger on Combee Road on U.S. 92 when he came to a railroad crossing. Instead of waiting for the train to pass, he raced around the line of cars, avoided the railroad crossing arm and then was hit by the train. The Amtrak train was traveling just 30 M.P.H. due to the fact it was passing a construction zone, a fact that may have saved the man’s life.…

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March 19, 2010

Tampa And Sarasota Traffic Ticket Numbers Are In From Click It Or Ticket Campaign

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The Florida Highway Patrol released their numbers when it came to Florida traffic tickets following their two-week Click It or Ticket campaign. While there were a staggering 36,858 traffic citations issued statewide we reported yesterday that only about 18% were for seat belt violations. Now Tampa and Sarasota have weighed in with their ticket numbers.

The Sheriff’s Office issued 494 traffic tickets in Sarasota for seat belt violations during the campaign. Nearly 10% of those who received seat belt violation citations in Florida were from the Tampa Bay area. According to the St Pete Times 633 seat belt violation tickets were issued in Tampa Bay alone. That number is almost triple the amount of seat belt tickets that were issued last year during the same period when Tampa Bay law enforcement issued 230 traffic citations for not wearing a seat belt.…

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March 18, 2010

Tampa Red Light Runners Featured On You Tube Courtesy Of The Hillsborough Sheriff’s Office

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If you live in Tampa and have received a recent citation for running a red light you may be on your way to You Tube stardom. The
Hillsborough County Sheriff’s office has put together a 2:08 video montage of Tampa’s worst red light runners. They have also put it on You Tube for the whole world to check out.

The red light cameras that issue the fines are the same ones that supplied the video for You Tube. The cameras are stationed all around Hillsborough County in an effort to s top Tampa red light running. The cameras are at popular intersections on Dale Mabry, Bruce B. Downs, Fletcher Avenue and Waters Avenue.…

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March 18, 2010

Florida Traffic Ticket Total Nears 37,000 For Statewide Click It or Ticket Campaign

Posted By fycadmin

The Florida Highway Patrol released their final number of Florida traffic tickets written during their two-week Click It or Ticket campaign. A staggering 36,858 traffic citations were issued yet only 6,550 of those were for seat belt violations, which was the focus of the campaign. The percentage of tickets issued for seat belt violations during this seat belt enforcement campaign was just over 17%.

The FHP also reported 311 arrests for DUI and driving under the influence of drugs resulting from the stops. According to the FHP’s own release there were more than 10,000 Florida speeding tickets issued and an equal number of motorists assisted.…

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March 11, 2010

Clearwater Police Stop Man For An Illegal U-Turn And He Dies During The Traffic Stop

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Clearwater police are working to curtail what is normally their highest-accident month by beefing up red light enforcement. That was the case Wednesday when they pulled over a man for making an illegal U-Turn. Moments later the driver’s 50-year-old son wasn’t breathing. The officer tried to revive the man as did paramedics in a Chick-Fil-A parking lot but they were unsuccessful.

According to the story on TBO.com there has been no ruling as of yet on Stephen Lanciotti’s cause of death but his father said the man
was feeling ill before they got in the car. There was no information on whether the illegal U-Turn was preformed due to the man’s health. Clearwater Police were on the spot because last year there were almost 600 car crashes with injuries and officers wrote almost 20,000 Florida traffic citations in the city last year. Both were increases from the year before.…

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March 10, 2010

D-Day For Texting And Driving In Tallahassee

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A House committee will take a look at a bill to ban texting-and-driving on Florida’s roads and highways. According to an Associated Press story, the bill being considered would make texting while driving a crime, which would be a secondary offense. That
means police officers would only be able to issue a Florida traffic ticket for texting if the driver had been pulled over for another offense.

If you are a Florida traffic attorney, today’s committee hearing holds a lot of interest as the laws surrounding distracted driving continue to expand and get added to the books all over the nation. This particular bill would make a first violation carry a $30 fine and it would not be a moving violation. A second offense would be a moving violation if it happened within five years of the first. The second traffic citation would have a fine of $60.…

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March 1, 2010

Hernando County Teacher Charged With DUI Following A Stop For Speeding

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Ramia Vasquez was allegedly speeding on a Spring Hill street when Hernando County deputies pulled her over.
Upon the traffic stop the 37-year-old school teacher reportedly smelled of alcohol, had trouble keeping her balance and also had bloodshot eyes. She was later arrested for DUI and taken to Hernando County Jail.

The drunk driving arrest took place after Vasquez failed field sobriety tests according to the arresting officer. The woman gave a breathalyzer sample at the jail and according to TampaBay.com she had a blood-alcohol content of 0.92 and 0.99. She posted bond and was released from jail.…

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February 25, 2010

Florida Red-Light Cameras Embroiled In a Legal And Legislative Battle Royale

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Florida’s controversial red light camera system is in the midst of a political and legal struggle for its survival. Earlier this week a Miami-Dade judge ruled the traffic tickets issued by cameras for running red lights were illegal. Now a Hernando county state legislator is proposing a bill to ban the cameras state wide just as another bill in the Florida legislature is being proposed to make the cameras and the tickets they issue not just civil infractions but state law.

Robert Schneck released a statement today along with his bill. The republican from Spring Hill called the traffic cameras a hidden tax and while he supports safety he doesn’t see the red light cameras as anything more as a way for local governments to generate revenue. Currently 26 cities are using the red-light cameras in Florida.…

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February 25, 2010