Mitch Perry
The use of red-light cameras in Florida and nationally has been a flashpoint for years. The news in June that a former CEO of a traffic-camera company in Ohio pleaded guilty to bribing public officials has prompted two Florida lawmakers to call for a state investigation into that company’s contracts with local governments in the Sunshine State.
In a letter sent Wednesday morning to Florida Department of Law Enforcement head Rick Swearingen, St. Petersburg Republican state Sen. Jeff Brandes and Lehigh Acres GOP Rep. Matt Caldwell asked for a probe on all contracts awarded by local governments in Florida to Redflex Traffic Systems, based in Phoenix. Redflex, the lawmakers report, has contracts with Clearwater, Jacksonville and South Miami, among others.
The pair say they’re motivated by a former Redflex CEO’s guilty plea to charges stemming from bribing officials in Columbus, Ohio, and Cincinnati to win or keep camera contracts.
“The admission of bribery by Karen Finley illustrates the extent to which these providers will go in order to profit off the backs of hardworking Americans,” Brandes said. “State law enforcement should take a look into all contracts that exist in Florida with RedFlex to determine if this type of corruption occurred in our state, and to bring those to justice who violated public trust.”
Finley admitted in federal court that through her former company, Redflex Traffic Systems, she funneled campaign contributions to officials in the two cities between 2005-13, according to a report by the Northeast Ohio Media Group.
Perhaps “more disconcertingly,” the lawmakers write, is a lawsuit taking place in Maricopa County, Arizona, regarding former Redflex vice-president Aaron Rosenberg. Rosenberg has alleged the company routinely gave gifts and bribes to government officials in attempt to steer contracts. That news was first reported in February 2014, which prompted Brandes, a noted red-light camera critic, to call for a repeal of their use in Florida. That legislation did not pass in Tallahassee.
The biggest red-light camera vendor in Florida is not Reflex, but American Traffic Solutions. It was learned last week that ATS contributed $10,000 to a political action committee formed by Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn, a red-light camera supporter.
“I think Bob Buckhorn is a great public servant and I’m not questioning his integrity at all,” Brandes told The Tampa Tribune on Tuesday. “Personally, in light of the bribery scandal with Redflex and other camera companies, I wouldn’t touch the money with 10-foot pole.”
