BRADENTON, Fla. — Voting to enforce school zone speed limits at the beginning and end of every school day, instead of all day long, Manatee County commissioners have agreed to reduce the length of the time that drivers can be ticketed for speeding in a school zone.

“Right now, I’m looking at $300 dollars,” Liz Gabrick said, who received three citations in 24 hours last month.

She said it was in the middle of the day, and the school zone lights were not flashing.

“They said that the school zone speed limit is 30, and one I was going 40, another 44, and one at 46,” she said.

And it’s left a negative impact.

“Is it going to hurt my pocketbook? You bet it is. I’ve spent sleepless nights, a lot of time, and went to the commissioners’ meeting," she said. "And if I try to fight this in court, it’s thousands of dollars and time off work. It’s a hardship."

It’s a hardship that other residents can speak to as well, which is why commissioners changed the school zone policy after receiving several complaints from residents about receiving tickets.

Manatee County Commissioner Bob McCann said the overall idea is to protect school children, not punish speeders.

“We got rid of the red light cameras for that purpose," he said. "We aren’t there to monitor or change behavior. What we are there for is to protect the child’s safety during a school zone, period."

The Manatee County Board of Commissioners voted to enforce school zone violations for a one-hour period — 30 minutes before the first bell, and 30 minutes after the last bell. County officials also voted to enforce a universal 20 mph school zone speed limit, rather than varying speeds at different schools. 

They were all moves that Gabrick said she agreed with.

“I’m the first one to believe in child safety, but be transparent with us,” she said.

Driving on Linger Lodge Road East, where Gabrick was ticketed while driving past Tara Elementary School, she said one big issue is the lack of a speed limit sign when driving from Tara Preserve Lane to Linger Lodge Road East.

“What I don’t like about driving through there is if there was such a concern about speeding through the school zone, there should have been a speed limit sign there,” she said.

Many residents have asked if they still have to pay for the tickets they received before the new rule change on the Feb. 4. The simple answer from the county is: Yes, drivers still have to pay for existing tickets.

As for the universal 20 mph school zone speed limit, the county did approve it, but there is no set date when that will go into effect.

Manatee County officials addressed the issue in a statement:

“At this time, a specific date has not been determined; however, staff will begin developing a plan for the fabrication and installation of the new signage. Additional details will be shared with the community as they become available.

Individuals who received a School Speed Zone Camera Notice of Violation (NOV) prior to the policy change approved by the Manatee Board of County Commissioners on February 4 are still required to pay the assigned penalty. For any questions regarding an NOV, please contact the Public Safety Department at code.enforcement@mymanatee.org or call Red Speed customer service at 888-213-0715.”