MOUNT DORA, Fla. – Motorists who exceed the speed limit in three Mount Dora school zones should not expect a grace period this year. If a camera catches them, a ticket will be headed their way.
As students return for the new school year, the Mount Dora Police Department has reactivated its school-zone speed camera program. This time, warnings are off the table from day one, with $100 citations being mailed to drivers recorded speeding through marked school zones.
The speed enforcement cameras were first placed last year near Triangle Elementary School, Round Lake Charter School and on Lincoln Avenue near Mount Dora Middle School. According to police, those areas were selected after a traffic study pointed to them as some of Mount Dora’s most problematic locations for speeding and other roadway violations.
For residents who live near the cameras, the difference has been noticeable. Corey Bowman, who lives close to Triangle Elementary, said traffic feels calmer since the system was put in place.
“I know that it’s been a lot easier to get out of this road without having to worry about someone speeding down the road,” Bowman said.
Mount Dora police said the goal is not only to catch speeders, but to make school zones safer for children, families and crossing guards while giving officers another tool to enforce traffic laws in high-volume areas.
“Everything’s layered in law enforcement and security,” said Jim Deleu, deputy chief of the Mount Dora Police Department. “So it’s basically considered a force multiplier. These cameras can do things that maybe 20 officers throughout the week couldn’t do.”
When the program launched last year, the city allowed a three-month warning phase before issuing fines. Once that period ended, more than 2,600 citations were sent out in December. By April, citations had fallen to just over 1,900 — a 27% decline that police say suggests more drivers are easing off the gas in Mount Dora school zones.
Over the course of the school year, Deleu said more than 11,000 citations were mailed.
Some parents have questioned whether the cameras are accurate, but Deleu said the department verifies the information collected before citations are finalized.
“They are calibrated on a continual basis based on industry standards, to the point where we receive documents before there’s a magistrate hearing,” Deleu said.
Police said they hope the number of citations continues to decline this school year as more drivers follow the speed limit in school zones.
