Palm Beach Libertarians Continue Opposition to Red Light Cameras

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 31, 2017
CONTACT: Chairman, Karl Dickey
Phone: 202-683-8056 [email protected] 
 Palm Beach Libertarians Continue Opposition to Red Light Cameras

Libertarians against Boynton Beach renewing camera program

Boynton Beach, Fla -- The Libertarian Party of Palm Beach County (LP Palm Beach) is renewing its opposition to Boynton Beach’s red light camera program. The City of Boynton Beach rightfully eliminated its red light camera program at the end of 2016 and is considering renewing it at their city council meeting tomorrow evening.

LP Palm Beach has been a strong and outspoken opponent to red light cameras for many years since such programs entered Palm Beach County. The organization of over 1,500 Palm Beach County residents has been proven right all the way to the Florida Supreme Court when such programs were ruled unconstitutional. It is also a strange time for city officials to bring up red light cameras as another case on the issue is still to be considered by the Florida Supreme Court.

Chair of LP Palm Beach, Karl Dickey, said this morning, “It is sad that one of the Boynton Beach City Commissioners feels the need to bring the issue back up when it has already been decided. Residents do not like or want the cameras and as the city’s own study showed, once the cameras were installed, deaths at those intersections increased. These cameras do not increase safety but cause more accidents and deaths. We encourage city residents to reach out to their city commission elected officials and strongly voice their opposition to this revenue generating scheme. Any politician telling the public they want the cameras in the interest of safety is cherry-picking the data and is not being straightforward with the public.”

Although there are a multitude of studies that show how red light cameras make intersections less safe, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles provides more evidence that deaths increase and crashes increase at such intersections across the State of Florida. Their study concurred with dozens of other studies that fatalities increase when red light cameras were installed while also finding a near 30 percent increase of incapacitating injuries and an overall increase in crashes by almost 15 percent. For Boynton Beach, the study found a 206.25 percent increase in crashes after the cameras were installed.

Red light camera companies and governments have a sordid history of corruption from around the country. Whereas, LP Palm Beach has no knowledge of any corruption by any Boynton Beach official, many public officials across the country have gone to prison after accepting bribes from red light camera companies.

Boynton Beach residents can contact their elected officials to voice their opposition to renewing the red light camera program through the following contact information:

Mayor Steven Grant        [email protected]    (561) 742-6010
Vice Mayor Justin Katz    [email protected]    (561) 827-0407
Mack McCray            [email protected]    (561) 702-5419
Christina Romelus        [email protected]    (561) 436-2826 
Joe Casello            [email protected]    (561) 602-6400

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