Bradenton Police handed City Council a two-year scorecard on Wednesday, and the school zone speed program is posting numbers that are hard to argue with. Speeding in school zones fell 96.8% from 2024 to 2026 compared to the original baseline, according to Records Management Liaison Officer Jeremy Giddens. The program issued 17,556 notices of violation over that stretch, with 10,779 paid, totaling $1,077,900 in payments.
What makes the report notable is where the slowdown is showing up. Giddens said compliance is extending into neighborhoods around the schools, not just the blocks with the cameras. Part of that is a new school zone at Manatee Elementary on SR-64 that took effect in December 2025. Mayor Gene Brown praised the program, pointing to the kind of driving that used to happen in these zones. When somebody is going 70-something miles per hour past an elementary school, the case makes itself.
For the rest of the Suncoast, the report raises a practical question. If automated speed enforcement works this well in Bradenton, does it make sense for Sarasota, Palmetto, or Venice? And with over a million dollars collected, residents deserve a clear answer on where that money goes. If you drive through a school zone on your commute, what would you want to see happen next?
