The City Commission decides not to record every license plate.
Red light cameras have generated an abundance of controversy and revenue since their inception and they will continue to keep a close eye on 10 Sarasota intersections, City Commissioners recently voted.
By a 3-2 margin, the commissioners have agreed to enter into a new contract with a company called Automated Redspeed Florida LLC for use of cameras, though they were not in favor of utilizing a technology the company has made available known as License Plate Recognition, which captures plate numbers via camera and stores them in a database.
Known as LPR, the technology can be useful in Amber Alerts, Silver Alerts and investigations, Sarasota Police Department Detective John Lake said. Longboat Key currently utilizes the technology that would have been used with six cameras in Sarasota had the commissioners voted in favor of adding it.
As it stands there will be 20 cameras situated at 10 intersections within the city, a reduction by three cameras. Lake said technology has changed since the cameras were first approved in 2010 and the city will be able to utilize cameras at certain intersections that can cover as many as seven lanes, thus the reduction.
Lake said that drivers will no longer encounter the familiar flashes that correspond with someone running through a red light.
According to Shana Meadows, Finance Manager for the Sarasota Police Department, the city will save a noticeable amount of money per month with the new company.
The red light cameras are clearly a benefit financially. Meadows said in 2017 the cameras generated about $1 million in revenue compared to around $163,750 in expenses. The city was able to place about $840,000 in the General Fund.
Hagen Brody and Jen Ahearn-Koch were the two commissioners who voted against entering into a contract with the new company for the cameras. Brody said he was not comfortable with the LPR surveillance that was discussed.
“I’m not a huge fan of red light cameras anyway but I don’t think I can support this because of the surveillance aspect,’’ he said before the vote at last week’s meeting.