CLERMONT, Fla. – The City of Clermont is ending its red-light camera program at the start of the new year.
The program has been in effect since 2014.
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The cameras are located at four intersections on Highway 50 at Hancock Road, East Avenue, Fifth Street, and 12th Street.
"The cameras will still be up for a while. The company will be coming out to get those sometime after Jan. 3," Officer Erin Razo with the Clermont Police Department said.
Razo said City Council decided not to renew the contract with the red-light camera company because citizens complained. They were especially upset about enforcing right-hand turns at traffic lights.
"More so looking at violators that are not using caution when making that right turn and not coming to a complete stop, which is what causes accidents," Razo said.
According to data from the police department, accidents decreased at some intersections, but at Hancock Road and 50, they more than doubled after installing the cameras in 2014. The stats also show during the three years of the program, almost 28,000 violations were issued.
"We do believe it has been effective. We're getting some data to ensure the traffic officers have that data to make sure the motorists are safe out there," Razo said.
Although the red-light cameras will be gone, drivers shouldn't think about running a light. Clermont police added an officer to its traffic unit to monitor busy intersections and keep the community safe.
"We still have officers out there enforcing that violation," Razo said.
The red-light cameras go offline on Tuesday. Police say you could still receive a violation up until that date, and you may not get it until weeks later.