How the scam works
Lawtey’s camera program sits on a highway school zone so short you can throw a football through it — with signs that contradict the enforcement the camera actually uses.
In April 2024, the City of Lawtey went live with RedSpeed USA school-zone speed cameras near Lawtey Elementary on US 301 at Lake Street. Florida law (after 2023’s camera authorization) lets local governments ticket vehicles 10+ mph over the school-zone limit during defined school-session windows. The civil notice is usually $100 via speedviolation.com.
Safety for kids is not the argument here. The argument is deceptive design: a posted 45, a “when flashing” 20 that often isn’t flashing, photo-enforced hours spanning most of the school day, and a camera waiting in a corridor local writers have measured at about 127 yards.
The signage sequence
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45 mph is the posted limit
Drivers approach on US 301 with clear SPEED LIMIT 45 signs on both sides of the road. That is the speed most through-traffic is legally traveling.
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Photo-enforced hours appear
A SPEED LIMIT PHOTO ENFORCED plaque lists 6:30 AM TO 2:40 PM — a long daytime window that does not match typical “flashing only” school-zone expectations.
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Warning, not a timed 20 mph plate
A SCHOOL SPEED LIMIT 20 ahead warning appears, but drivers do not get a conventional timed school speed-limit assembly that clearly restates hours on a regulatory plate.
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“20 MPH WHEN FLASHING” — often dark
The overhead school-zone sign says the reduced speed applies WHEN FLASHING. Beacons are commonly dark outside the brief before/after school flash windows — while cameras still enforce 20 mph all day.
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Camera fires in a ~300 ft trap
A RedSpeed pole camera sits in the short zone through the Lake Street intersection. Tickets start at 10+ mph over 20 (i.e., 31+). Then END SCHOOL ZONE and back to 45.
Why drivers call it a scam
The overhead regulatory message drivers actually read at speed is 20 MPH WHEN FLASHING. When those amber beacons are dark, reasonable drivers treat the corridor like the surrounding 45 mph limit. The camera and the photo-enforced plaque disagree. That gap is the product.
What Florida law actually enables
Statutes such as F.S. 316.1896 authorize speed detection systems in school zones and spell out notice and hearing procedures. Signage rules under F.S. 316.0776 require photo-enforcement notices that designate the time period. None of that fixes the human factors failure of a dark “when flashing” assembly paired with all-day camera hours.
Investigative reporting across Florida found drivers contesting these tickets are almost guaranteed to lose — including cases where beacons were not flashing. Magistrates have openly called the statutory mismatch unfair while still upholding fines. RedSpeed has issued hundreds of thousands of notices statewide and collected a large share of tens of millions in revenue.
Lawtey’s own FAQ
lawteypolice.org/faq.html tells recipients the notices are “legitimate,” points them to secure.speedviolation.com, and warns that doing nothing can escalate to a Uniform Traffic Citation. It does not explain why a “when flashing” sign can sit dark while a camera still enforces 20 mph at 1:47 PM.