After a thorough review of the school bus camera citation program, the Miami-Dade Sheriff announced its suspension. NBC6’s Laura Rodriguez reports
After a thorough review of a school bus camera citation program, the Miami-Dade Sheriff announced it is now suspended.
After suspending part of the school bus camera program in March for citations only related to median violations, Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz has now put a stop to all tickets related to BusPatrol.
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WATCH HERENo additional citations will be issued from this program from today forward," she said.
The sheriff, the clerk of the court and the chief judge announced they've identified significant errors in the uniform traffic citations issued and mailed by BusPatrol.
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"Many of the UTCs did not reference the correct UTC number and contained the wrong fee amount," Cordero-Stutz said.
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Uniform traffic citations (UTCs) were issued to those who did not pay the bus camera ticket. Some were then met with notices of license suspension. When some eventually went to pay the bus ticket, they couldn't.
"When these individuals would come to our office and we would try and pull up the number of the ticket, my team couldn't find it," said Juan Fernandez Barquin, the Miami-Dade clerk of court and comptroller.
He said there was also a discrepancy in the amount billed by BusPatrol for the uniform traffic citations. UTCs should have been billed at $344, and instead, the company sent notices for $225.
"We've taken the additional step also of identifying the individuals who have these pending uniform traffic citations, and we've withdrawn what's called a D6 notification to suspend the drivers' licenses," Fernandez Barquin said.
For those who got one of these tickets and paid it, the sheriff said people can seek legal counsel to know what their rights are.
In the meantime, if you have a ticket dated before April 17, the sheriff says you should comply and pay the fine.
"Both BusPatrol and Miami-Dade leadership are aligned that the most important priority is to protect the hundreds of thousands of Dade students on their way to and from school," a BusPatrol spokesperson said in a statement. "We are committed to collaborating with all stakeholders to restart this critical student safety program."
