Cameras on Duval County school buses will capture images of people passing illegally. | Nancy Guan, WUSF
Published on May 1, 2026 at 11:48 am
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Starting today, fines are being issued for Duval County drivers caught breaking the rules on school bus stop-arm cameras.
Duval County Public Schools is equipping roughly 900 school buses with cameras designed to catch drivers who fail to stop when buses are loading and unloading students. The program spent April in a warning period. Starting May 1, those warnings become $225 fines.
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News4Jax asked the school district how many warnings have been issued so far. Between April 1 and April 21, the district said, officers reviewed 803 flagged incidents. Of those, 609 citations were approved and 194 were disapproved.
Here are the 10 locations with the most warning citations mailed for April 1-21:
| LOCATION | TICKETS MAILED |
|---|---|
| 3800 block of Blanding Boulevard | 21 |
| 1800 block of Edgewood Avenue West | 16 |
| 600 block of West Beaver Street | 14 |
| 1100 block of FL- 103 | 14 |
| 1700 block of Edgewood Avenue West | 11 |
| 2600 block of Lane Avenue South | 11 |
| 8300 block of Collins Road | 11 |
| 600 block of Stockton Street | 10 |
| 7000 block of Wilson Boulevard | 10 |
| 2000 block of FL-103 | 8 |
In Duval County, the district says school police will review still imags and video for every recorded violation. If there is any uncertainty about the validity of the violation, a citation will not be issued.
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“Our goal is to avoid issuing citations in error,” the district said. “
How school bus cameras work
The cameras use artificial intelligence to flag drivers who do not stop for a deployed stop arm and red lights. But technology is only the first step.
The finding goes next goes to the vendor, Bus Patrol,and then to the school police department.
“The guidance that I’ve given them is, if you’re not sure, don’t issue the citation,” said Jackson Short, chief of Duval County Public Schools Police. “It should be very obvious that the driver did violate the law, and that’s the only time that we’re going to issue the citation.”
Who is required to stop — and who isn’t
Under Florida law, drivers must stop for any school bus that has deployed its red lights and stop arm. There are limited exceptions.
“Drivers need to stop with the exception of if there’s a raised median, a divided highway or at least five feet of median separating the traffic in the opposite direction,” Short said.
A raised median is one that is physically elevated — often with a curb. A flat grass median qualifies for the exemption only if it is at least 5 feet wide. When in doubt, Short said, drivers should simply stop.
“When in doubt, pay attention to other drivers around you. If you’re not sure, stop, and just be cognizant of our students,” Short said. “We’re not trying to write tickets. We’re not expecting to make any money. Our goal is to be so successful at this program that we don’t need it anymore.”
How to contest a citation
Drivers who are ticketed will receive the same evidence packets reviewed by officers — including photos of their vehicle, license plate and a record of the violation. The fine is $225 and carries no points on a driver’s license.
If someone other than the registered owner was driving, there are mechanisms to transfer responsibility of the citation to that driver.
Drivers who believe a ticket was issued in error can request a hearing through Florida’s Department of Administrative Hearings, a government entity that already handles bus camera reviews for other counties in Florida.
“That’s the important piece — that drivers do have the opportunity to contest the citation if they believe it was issued in error,” Short said.
This story was produced by News4Jax, a Jacksonville Today news partner.
