Manatee County commissioners voted this week to install speed-detecting cameras in all of the county's school zones for the coming school year.

A new law went into effect last summer that allows counties in Florida to enforce speed limits through speed-detecting cameras, and some areas in the Tampa Bay area have already started the process.

With the decision to add speed-detecting cameras to every school in Manatee County, they will be watching when students head to school, and again when they leave. But county officials say they will not be active outside of listed school hours.

Christina Kratz's kids — Colton, now in sixth grade, and Luke, in fourth — attended Manatee County schools until a few years ago.

"We went with the homeschooling program to have a better life for the kids, less anxiety, less stress,” she said.

"We absolutely couldn't ask for anything better," she added. "They have no homework, they get to be outside and enjoy life, they learn trades."

She said one of the things that caused her to pull her kids out of public school was the chaos of traffic and speeding cars.

"It's awful,” she said. "When we went to the school right off of Rye Road, traffic is crazy. There were lots of cars speeding through the zones, even with the lights.” 

She said there was even one instance when she was almost hit by another vehicle — while she had her kids in the car.

"One day I was pulling out of the school parking lot after pick up,” she said. "Because of all the lines of cars coming into the school system, I couldn't see pulling out as easily. A car came flying by and almost hit me, just missed me probably inches with the kids in the car. So, that was really a tough day for us, kind of scared the kids. Scared me.”

So when Kratz found out that the county was installing speed-detecting cameras, she agreed with the decision, saying they are a good way to keep kids safe.

"I think it's a great idea. We had them up north where we lived," she said. "They sent out tickets to the people who weren’t abiding by the rules. It really took kids' safety into consideration."

County officials say the cameras will be in in place on the first day of the next school year, but there will be a two-week notice before they are turned on.