F.S. §316.1895 — School Zone Speed Camera
School Zone Camera Investigation: 71% of Tickets Match the Wrong School
An analysis of 401 speed camera citations at 7300 BLK SW 124th Street, Pinecrest, FL. The camera is labeled “PALM ELEM” — but most of its tickets correspond to Palmetto Middle School's schedule, not the Elementary school.
*This figure only reflects the 401 citations that reached the Clerk of Courts. It does not include Notices of Violation (NOVs) — the initial $100 warnings that many drivers simply pay without contesting. Actual revenue from this single camera location is likely significantly higher.
The Scene: Two Schools, One Camera, One Label
The camera sits on 124th St and is labeled for the Elementary school.
But 71% of its tickets are issued during times that only match the Middle School schedule — a different school on a different street.
Key Findings
The Camera Says "Elementary" — But the Tickets Say "Middle"
The speed camera is labeled “PALM ELEM” — Palmetto Elementary. But 284 of 401 citations (71%) were issued during time windows that only correspond to Palmetto Middle School's arrival and dismissal schedule.
Nearly Half of All Tickets: 3:36 – 4:20 PM
186 citations (46%) were issued between 3:36 and 4:20 PM. Palmetto Elementary dismissed at 3:05 PM — over 30 minutes before the earliest of these tickets. This window only aligns with Palmetto Middle School's 3:50 PM dismissal.
Drivers Going the Normal Speed Limit
70% of ticketed drivers were clocked at 26–30 mph — at or below the road's regular 30 mph speed limit. These are not reckless drivers. They appear to be motorists who didn't know the school zone was active — possibly because it shouldn't have been.
12 Tickets Outside Any School's Window
4 citations were issued before 7:50 AM (before any school window) and 8 citations were issued between 2:21–2:34 PM — a dead zone when no school is arriving or dismissing.
What Florida Law Says
“30 minutes before, during, and 30 minutes after the periods of time when pupils are arriving at a regularly scheduled school session and leaving a regularly scheduled school session.”
The statute says “a regularly scheduled school session” — singular. There is no provision in Florida law that authorizes combining two different schools' schedules into one extended enforcement window. Yet the Village of Pinecrest lists enforcement hours of 7:30 AM – 4:20 PM for this “Elementary” camera — using the Elementary's start and the Middle School's end.
When Were the 401 Tickets Issued?
Citations by School Window
Clocked Speed Distribution (15 mph zone)
School Schedules & Legal Time Windows
Palmetto Elementary School
| Grade | Start | Dismiss | 30-Min Window |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-K, K, 1st | 8:20 AM | 1:50 PM | 7:50–8:50 AM / 1:20–2:20 PM |
| 2nd–5th | 8:35 AM | 3:05 PM | 8:05–9:05 AM / 2:35–3:35 PM |
Camera is labeled “PALM ELEM” — this school.
Palmetto Middle School
| Grade | Start | Dismiss | 30-Min Window |
|---|---|---|---|
| All (6th–8th) | 9:10 AM | 3:50 PM | 8:40–9:40 AM / 3:20–4:20 PM |
71% of tickets match this school's schedule — not Elementary.
Citations by Day of Week
Case Status
Data Methodology
This analysis was conducted using citation records from the Miami-Dade County Clerk of Courts database, filtered to location field values “WB 7300 BLK SW 124TH ST @ PALM ELEM” and “EB 7300 BLK SW 124TH ST @ PALM ELEM.” School bell schedules were sourced from the Palmetto Elementary and Palmetto Middle School websites. The 30-minute before/after time windows were calculated per Florida Statute 316.1895(5). All 401 citations were charged under F.S. 316.1895(10) with a posted speed limit of 15 mph.
Data range: May 14, 2025 through January 13, 2026 (94 unique school days). A separate public records request for November 2025 independently found 99 of 139 citations (71%) falling outside valid time windows — consistent with this broader analysis.
Related Resources
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Data sourced from Miami-Dade County Clerk of Courts records | 401 citations, May 2025 – January 2026
School schedules from Palmetto Elementary and Palmetto Middle School websites
Time windows calculated per Florida Statute 316.1895(5)
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