Commissioners voted 4-0 to deny the adoption of a Vision Zero Policy, which would allow the county to consider traffic options such as roadway enhancements and speed cameras on particular roadways in the county. Commissioner Brian Hawkins was absent from the meeting.
Assistant County Engineer David Crosby introduced the item, which is part of a grant that was awarded to the county in 2023. The grant application for Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) resulted in a $328,374 federal grant, with a match of $86,000 by the County.
Commissioner Steve Champion is in favor of many road safety improvements but fears expanding government using federal dollars will come with “strings attached,” such as mandated traffic cameras.
The City of Brooksville ended its contract with a company that deployed traffic cameras in 2016. “Brooksville got rid of cameras for a reason,” Champion said.
Commissioners agreed that the policy still doesn’t account for “people behaving badly” and violating safety rules already in place. Commissioner John Allocco called the policy “ridiculous” as achieving zero deaths on Hernando County roadways is not feasible.
Captain Andrew Batchelder of the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) commented that HCSO does not support the use of cameras for traffic enforcement.
The grant application was approved by Commissioners in 2022 due to the County’s high number of motorcycle, bicycle and pedestrian deaths in the region.
