TAMPA, Fla. (July 11, 2025) — As students prepare to return to school this August, the Tampa Police Department is inviting families to join the conversation on keeping them safe.
TPD will host a Back-to-School Town Hall on Tuesday, July 15 at 6 p.m.,at Ragan Park, 1200 E Lake Ave. where officers and safety experts will provide important updates on student safety. Topics will include everything from school zone enforcement and traffic safety to addressing online threats and social media trends.
A key focus will be the department’s newest tool to protect students on their way to and from school.
Beginning this school year, the Tampa Police Department will activate speed enforcement cameras in school zones throughout the city. The program aims to reduce speeding, improve driver behavior, and prevent tragedies before they happen. The initial locations for the cameras were chosen based on the safety assessments and site data. Other approved schools which may be included in the future are Shore Elementary, and West Tampa Elementary.
“This is about protecting kids, plain and simple,” said Chief Lee Bercaw. “When drivers ignore speed limits in school zones, they put lives at risk. This program is one more way we’re working to hold people accountable and make Tampa safer, together.”
This School Speed Zone Camera program has been in development since 2022, following a citywide School Transportation Study that identified the top schools in need of traffic safety improvements. After Florida passed legislation in 2023 allowing school zone speed cameras, the City of Tampa began evaluating how to implement the program locally. Based on the study and site reviews, 13 schools were recommended and included in a City Council ordinance. The ordinance was passed in January 2024 after two public hearings. A competitive bidding process followed, and the program is now being implemented with public safety as the top priority.
Starting August 11, an education period will begin, where cameras will begin capturing warning notices in school zones around the following ten schools:
• Alexander Elementary
• B.T. Washington Elementary
• Ferrell Girls Preparatory Academy
• Orange Grove Middle Magnet
• Potter Elementary
• Shaw Elementary
• Sulphur Springs Elementary
• Tampa Bay Boulevard Elementary
• Young Middle Magnet
• Lomax Elementary
Notices of violation will begin on September 10 for any driver caught going 10 miles per hour or more over the posted speed limit during active school zone hours. Each violation will be reviewed and approved by a Tampa Police officer before a notice of violation is mailed.
Cameras will only operate during official school zone times, including:
• 30 minutes before and after breakfast programs
• 30 minutes before and after school begins
• During all regular school hours
• 30 minutes after dismissal
A two-minute grace period will be observed at the beginning of each time window. Cameras will not operate when school is out of session, including holidays and weather-related closures.