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In the tiny city of West Miami, the sound of a red light camera shutter might as well sound like a cash register. Every month, the town of about 7,000 residents regularly snaps thousands of automated photos of people suspected of violating traffic laws. The money derived from six red light cameras amounts to more than 15% of the city’s total revenue, far higher than most other cities that run the programs. The cameras are expected to generate a total of $1.45 million in revenue for the city this year, making them the second largest source of funds, after property taxes. The total estimated revenue for the city this year is $9.2 million. As a new law requiring more transparency for red light camera programs comes into effect, WLRN has analyzed data for South Florida cities, which make up about half the cities in Florida that operate the programs. West Miami is the city most reliant on the red light camera revenue to fund its municipal government, WLRN found. “I average between 3,000 to 3,500 reviews per month. Out of that, probably 3,000 get cited,” Ricardo Roque, the police officer in charge of reviewing the red light camera footage, told WLRN. “A lot of them get dismissed.” West Miami and other cities that run the programs must offer a public hearing for people who want to contest their tickets. The West Miami meetings are run by private attorney Marcos Martinez, who was hired by the city. “This is like a major hub that connects the City of Miami and the city of Coral Gables and unincorporated Dade, all of which are much bigger jurisdictions. So everyone shortcuts through here,” Martinez told WLRN. “Traffic is actually probably the main problem in the city.” During a June meeting, most people who contested their citations were dismissed, due to pulling what Martinez called a “Miami right” — a slow rolling right hand turn on a red light. While technically illegal, it’s common. Roque admitted he tends to cite these turns, while Martinez tends to be more lenient. Tap the link below to continue reading. Story by Daniel Rivero.

New law will require transparency for red light cameras. Some Florida cities are making a killing

New law will require transparency for red light cameras. Some Florida cities are making a killing

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