Drivers traveling near 18 Tampa schools will soon encounter automated speed enforcement cameras as part of a city effort to reduce speeding in school zones.

The Tampa City Council approved the locations after reviewing traffic data collected at 29 schools and 31 school zones. The selected sites were identified based on measured speeding activity rather than the broader transportation criteria used in an earlier study.

According to the city, the cameras are intended to improve safety for students, school staff, and pedestrians by discouraging excessive speeds near schools. Florida authorized the use of school zone speed cameras through House Bill 657, which became law in 2023. Hillsborough County began implementing the technology in 2024, with enforcement expanding after an initial warning period.

Under Florida law, a notice of violation can be issued when a vehicle is recorded traveling more than 10 mph above the posted speed limit in an active camera enforcement area. The civil penalty is $100 and does not result in points on a driver’s license or appear on the owner’s driving record. All violations are reviewed before citations are issued.

The 18 Tampa schools selected for camera enforcement are:

• Alexander Elementary School
• Benito Middle School
• Ferrell Girls Preparatory Academy Middle Magnet School
• Lanier Elementary School
• Lawton Chiles Elementary School
• Liberty Middle School and Freedom High School
• Lockhart Elementary Magnet School
• Lomax Magnet Elementary School
• MacFarlane Park Elementary Magnet School
• Mabry Elementary School
• Mendenhall Elementary School
• Seminole Elementary School
• Shaw Elementary School
• St. Lawrence Catholic School
• T.R. Robinson High School
• Tampa Bay Boulevard Elementary School
• Turner/Bartels K-8 School
• Young Middle Magnet School

Traffic studies found thousands of vehicles exceeding the speed limit by at least 10 mph during a two-day sampling period at the selected locations. City officials said those results guided the final list of schools receiving cameras.

Warning signs will be posted in advance of camera-enforced school zones to alert motorists. Officials encourage drivers to observe posted speed limits whenever traveling through school areas.

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