The Gainesville City Commission finalized its red-light camera plan on Thursday and passed a first vote for school zone cameras to monitor speeding, but implementation for both remains a few months away.  

Also on Thursday, the City Commission asked for more details from its staff on the contract with the School Board of Alachua County (SBAC) as the two discuss the future of Citizens Field.  

The City Commission signaled in February its intention to implement red-light cameras and school zone cameras. The programs still have a few months before implementation, with procurement, contract signing and a state-mandated education campaign occurring before the official start.  

The city plans to start with only two of each type of camera before expanding or shrinking the system as needed. The red-light cameras will be at the intersection of NE 39th Avenue and Waldo Road and the intersection of NW 23rd Avenue and NW 61st Street. The ordinance includes 14 other intersections that met the crash data requirements to allow cameras, but the city currently has no plans to install cameras at additional intersections.  

The school cameras will catch drivers going 10 miles per hour or more over the posted reduced speed limit during school hours. Talbot Elementary and Lincoln Middle School will be the first two schools with the cameras.  

The school camera ordinance still needs a final vote, likely on June 5, the next regular commission meeting.  

Commissioner Bryan Eastman introduced a change to both of the ordinances. The change further details and restricts how the fines for violators will be used.  

State law already prescribes the funding split, but Eastman said he wanted to clarify that the funds for red-light cameras will go toward multimodal transit projects (sidewalks, crosswalks, bike lanes and other Vision Zero projects).  

For the school cameras, the funds will be restricted to school safety projects.  

Eastman and the City Commission have said they don’t anticipate receiving much revenue above the cost to maintain the cameras and verify the violations. But Eastman said he would prefer to restrict the funding to show citizens that the camera projects aren’t meant as a revenue source for any city project.  

The City Commission agreed with the change, and both ordinances passed unanimously.  

The ordinances were passed with no public comment and at the previous vote for the red-light cameras, Mayor Harvey Ward said he had expected more public conversation.  

On Friday, Ward said people will likely start raising complaints once the first fines are issued. He said the city may see some pushback then, but overall, he thinks the city will also see improved traffic.  

“As word gets around that we’re doing it, I think we’ll see better intersection behavior—fewer red lights run as people start to be concerned about it,” Ward said. 

Ward addressed privacy or intrusion concerns from the red-light cameras. He said having a picture taken of the vehicle and the violation is less intrusive than having a police officer pull you over and potentially check the vehicle. 

Commissioner Cynthia Chestnut asked that city staff review the current contract with SBAC for use of Citizens Field and return with how the contract has been executed.  

The contract requires annual reports, maintenance of the stadium and other criteria. As the city examines the potential of a joint project on a new Citizens Field, Chestnut wanted these due diligence questions answered.  

The school board said it would like to own Citizens Field instead of just leasing the facility—the previous lease was for 40 years at around a dollar per year. Owning the land would allow SBAC to use capital improvement dollars on the renovation, as the city aims to renovate the rest of the NW 8th Avenue and Waldo Road complex.  

The city has had several discussions recently on the project, but final action steps may finally come after the city’s consultants give a final report in June.  

Ward said even if the city continues discussions on Citizens Field, he’d like to see action on the portions that the commission has full control over, like the fire station and administration building on the site.