Florida Appeals Court Upholds Red-Light Camera Program
SCOTTSDALE, AZ-- The state of Florida’s Fourth District Court of Appeals has upheld a lower court’s decision to dismiss a challenge to the constitutionality of red-light safety cameras in the case of Salvatore Altimari vs. the State of Florida and the City of West Palm Beach.
Altimari, who received a red-light running ticket from the city of West Palm Beach, challenged the constitutionality of the Mark Wandall Traffic Safety Act in his petition to Florida’s 15thJudicial Circuit Court. However, when the city later dismissed Altimari’s ticket for insufficient evidence, the city asked the Circuit Court to grant a motion to dismiss Altimari’s petition on the grounds that an actual dispute no longer remained between the parties. On Nov. 2, 2011, Judge Janis Brustares Keyser, of the 15thJudicial Circuit Court, granted summary judgment in favor of the city of West Palm Beach and the state of Florida.
On appeal, the judges of Florida’s Fourth District Court of Appeal rejected Altimari’s arguments and affirmed the lower court’s decision in their Feb. 27thruling. The higher court based its decision on Robinson v. Town of Palm Beach Shores, which requires a plaintiff seeking declaratory relief to produce a person or persons who have, or reasonably may have an actual, present, adverse and antagonistic interest in the subject matter, either in fact or law.
“The fact that this court followed the lead of dozens of courts across Florida and hundreds of other courts across the United States in upholding the constitutionality of red-light safety cameras is of no surprise. Rather it reaffirms the Mark Wandall Traffic Safety Act has a solid legal foundation,” said American Traffic Solutions’ General Counsel George Hittner. “Since its passage in 2010, the Wandall Act has enhanced safety throughout Florida. It is time traffic-ticket attorneys stop giving their clients false hope that they will not be held accountable and instead, encourage them to stop running red-lights and jeopardizing the lives of others on the roadways.”
About American Traffic Solutions:
ATS is proud to be the market leader in road safety camera installations in North America. ATS has more than 3,000 installed red-light and speed safety cameras serving more than 30 million people. ATS has contracts in nearly 300 communities in 21 states and Washington, D.C., including more than 70 municipalities in the state of Florida. ATS also offers PlatePass, an automated electronic toll payment service that enables rental vehicle customers to use high-speed, cashless electronic toll lanes. ATS is a privately-owned, U.S. corporation. For more information, please visit: www.atsol.com or www.PlatePass.com. To view video that serves as a chilling reminder of the dangers that red-light runners present to our family and children; visit ATS on YouTube here: http://www.youtube.com/user/ATSRoadSafety
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Contact: Charles Territo
Title: Senior Vice President Communications, Marketing and Public Affairs
Phone: (480) 443-7000
Email: media@atsol.com
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