Tampa, FL Mobility & Curb Rules: Red-Light Cameras (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Tampa Code § 14-56
- Adopted
- Ordinance No. 2024-3 (1-11-2024)
- Speed threshold
- 10+ mph over school zone limit
- Base fine
- $100 per F.S. § 318.18(3)(d)
- Added costs
- Up to $250 municipal costs
- Locations
- 13 named school zones citywide
Summary
Tampa has no red-light camera program, but Code § 14-56 authorizes radar/LiDAR speed detection systems in school zones for drivers exceeding the limit by 10+ mph. A registered owner gets 30 days to pay a $100 fine, contest it, or request a hearing before the code enforcement special magistrate.
(g)(1)General powers. Tampa Police Department shall be authorized to enforce the applicable speed limit on a roadway properly maintained as a school zone pursuant to Chapter 2023-174, Laws of Florida, for violations of F.S. §§ 316.183 and 316.1895, through the use of a speed detection system for the detection of speed and capturing of photographs or videos for violations in excess of ten (10) miles per hour over the speed limit in force at the time of the violation. ... (6)Defenses, penalties and costs. ... the local hearing officer must assess the statutory authorized penalty if the petitioner is found in violation and may also require the petitioner to pay municipal costs not to exceed two hundred fifty dollars ($250.00) per violation. A registered owner who receives a notice of violation may, within thirty (30) days:(i)Pay the fine of one hundred dollars ($100.00), as fixed by F.S. § 318.18(3)(d), as it may be amended;
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 148).
Full Breakdown
Tampa's school zone speed camera program, added as Code § 14-56 by Ordinance No. 1895. The Tampa Police Department administers the program with an approved vendor, and any vendor contract must go through City Council approval. Before a single ticket can issue, the city must run a 30-day public-awareness campaign at each new location; during that window only warnings go out and no fine can be imposed. T. Washington Elementary, Cleveland Elementary, Ferrell Middle Magnet, Lomax Elementary Magnet, Orange Grove Middle Magnet, Potter Elementary, Shaw Elementary, Shore Elementary Magnet, Sulphur Springs Elementary, Tampa Bay Boulevard Elementary, West Tampa Elementary, and Young Middle Magnet, and only catch drivers going more than 10 mph over the posted or school-zone limit during the 30 minutes before and after breakfast programs or school sessions.
' If found liable at a hearing, the officer may add municipal costs of up to $250 on top of the statutory penalty. Unpaid, uncontested notices convert into a uniform traffic citation sent to the Hillsborough County Clerk of Court. Recorded video or photographs may not be used for general surveillance and must be destroyed within 90 days of a case's final disposition.
Violations & Fines
A registered owner has 30 days to pay a $100 fine (set by F.S. § 318.18(3)(d)), file an affidavit claiming a statutory exception, or request a hearing before the code enforcement special magistrate. A hearing officer who finds a violation may add up to $250 in municipal costs on top of the fine; ignoring the notice converts it into a uniform traffic citation sent to county court.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Tampa have red-light cameras?
How much is a Tampa school zone camera ticket?
Can I fight a Tampa school zone speed camera ticket?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tampa
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