Zulia Taub did not become a resident of Aventura by choice. The decision to live in a 55-plus community in Aventura came after she survived the condominium collapse at Champlain Towers South in Surfside, in 2021. Taub lost dozens of friends and neighbors in the collapse.
“I lived in that building for 22 years, and I was very happy in Surfside. But I decided I didn’t want to live by the ocean anymore, and I saw that the community in Aventura was the best for me,” she said.
But ever since arriving in Aventura, there’s one thing that has rubbed her the wrong way: the red light cameras.
“I have been driving since 1962. I never had a ticket,” she said. “Since I moved here I have two tickets.”
To avoid getting more tickets she now drives way out of her way to avoid the intersection near her house. Her grandson visiting from out of state got a ticket there too. Neighbors complain of getting tickets there, and Taub said it has become enough of an issue where she wants to demand a review or a change of the red light camera policy.
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City budget records show about 5% of the Aventura budget came from red light tickets last year, one of the largest percentages of a city budget in South Florida, as WLRN has previously reported. For the current fiscal year, the city expects to collect 17% more from the cameras compared to the previous year.
“I think it’s another way to tax people, and I think that we have enough taxes and that the city is here to protect us, not to get extra money from us,” said Taub.
The City of Aventura is not new to facing a backlash against red light cameras from residents. The city was at the center of a lawsuit stemming from a 2014 incident that went up to the Florida Supreme Court — a case that placed red light cameras on strong legal footing across the entire state.
A state law passed last year will create more transparency for how money generated by the cameras is being raised and spent. In the meantime, residents are calling foul on what they believe to be abuses.
Aventura and other cities that run the programs must offer a public hearing for people who want to contest their tickets. At a hearing, city approved attorneys review cases with video footage.
The city told WLRN that there are no written agreements with “Special Masters” who decide the cases, but did not otherwise respond to requests for comment for this story.
Taub’s neighbor Glenis Henriquez got a ticket at the same intersection in October, and she found herself shocked, as she’s always considered herself to be a safe driver. When she went to a recent hearing to fight the ticket, she said she felt that the video was selectively edited and did not show the entire scene of what happened.
“I said ‘I’m innocent. What you see there is not what happened,’” said Henriquez.
She did not win her case at the hearing.
What really upset Henriquez is what happened next. If she wanted to continue fighting against what she saw as an unjust ticket, she would have to file a claim in county court, which would cost more than the ticket itself.
The original ticket was for $158. If she didn't pay it, it would soon grow to $258, plus she could face escalating consequences like getting her driver's license suspended. Filing to fight the ticket in Miami-Dade County Court would cost her a $281 fee to start with, plus if she lost, it could mean getting points against her license.
“There’s no winning. There’s no fighting city hall. That actually is true here, and that shouldn’t be,” said Henriquez.
Giving in, she reluctantly paid the ticket rather than paying more to fight against it: “Why would I pay more money to fight a ticket that’s for less than the fighting fee?”
Green arrow at red light
For her part, Sarah Bramblette is not a resident of Aventura. She lives in Miami Shores but she recently got a ticket when she went to Aventura for a medical appointment.
A city contractor sent her a video of her turning right without stopping at what looks like a red light.
Bramblette thought it hard to believe that she would do that, but the video seemed to prove it. Frustrated at herself, she drove up to Aventura to do a double take at the light and the intersection.
What she saw is that there is actually a green right arrow at the red light — and that it is always on when the red light is on. But the video from the red light camera did not pick up the green light.
“You guys are operating red light cameras at intersections and you’re not aware of what the traffic pattern is at these intersections. That’s unacceptable."Sarah Bramblette.
“I initially thought what I often think, which is: 'I was right!' There is a green arrow there. I did not run a red light. I was correct,” said Bramblette. “I see it. The problem is the camera doesn’t see it.”
The Miami-Dade Department of Transportation, which manages the light, told WLRN that it has not detected or been informed of any issues at the light. The department said that it uses LED technology in the bulbs, and that they would not dim over time, they would simply go out.
The county stressed that it “in no way touches, manages nor maintains” red light cameras installed by cities. Red light cameras are banned in unincorporated areas.
Bramblette was able to get her case thrown out after presenting video evidence at a hearing, showing that the green arrow did exist. She said she faced disbelief and pushback from officers and Special Masters at the hearing.
She hopes that a full review of all tickets issued at the intersection of Biscayne Boulevard and NE 199th Street is done, and that people get their money back who were issued tickets for doing a legal turn.
“You guys are operating red light cameras at intersections and you’re not aware of what the traffic pattern is at these intersections," she said, recounting her discussion with officials. "That’s unacceptable to me. That’s unacceptable."
