School bus cameras: Some citations stopped in Miami-Dade. What you need to know

Miami-Dade County Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz announced on X last week that she was immediately suspending the enforcement of all school bus camera citations that relate to median violations.

Many viewers told NBC6 that they have been a recipient of that violation and don’t believe it’s fair.

It's currently unclear why the sheriff’s office has decided to stop citations related to median violations. The sheriff’s office has also not provided a number for how many citations have been given out this year.

Drivers all across Miami-Dade are unhappy with receiving what they believe to be an unfair violation. It’s a $225 ticket for allegedly not stopping for a stopped school bus.

The law was passed by the Florida Senate in 2024 and was adopted by Miami-Dade County. It states that the only exceptions are “if his or her vehicle is traveling in the opposite direction of a stopped school bus on a divided highway with an unpaved space of at least five feet, a raised median, or a physical barrier.”

Many drivers who have reached out to NBC6 were upset they got a ticket when they had just passed or were about to pass a median.

Cordero-Stutz immediately stopped any school bus camera citations related to medians. But any others are continuing.

She furthered on a post on X that the suspensions came after she reviewed concerns around the BusPatrol program. Drivers who have contested a citation will have their violations placed on hold until their hearings. Additionally, those who have paid their median citations are paid directly through BusPatrol and not the sheriff's office.

“The first that I did was call my lawyer asking for advice, and his advice was I have to pay," Jorge Moya told NBC6 of the citation he received.

He even reached out to seven other attorneys, who told him the same thing.

Instead, he did his own investigations after he received a ticket in October that said he did not stop. But Moya claims he couldn’t.

In a video of the incident, the school bus starts to put out its arm. Moya is seen almost perpendicular to the bus. Once the stop arm is out completely, Moya’s car has already passed it.

According to the Florida Driver’s License Handbook, in a 30 mph speed limit, drivers need 123 feet of distance from the stopped vehicle to see, react, and stop.

“You don’t have time to react in a secure moment,” Moya said.

According to the county’s agreement with BusPatrol, the suppliers of the cameras, the police department, and the school board, the cameras must be tested according to the State Board of Education’s standards.

Once the alleged violation happens, the school district must send all visuals to the police department for review. The agency has 30 days to review, and they are the ones who will “in good faith, review the information and issue citations.”

But Moya believes those officers are not considering all factors.

“Are they taking into account [if the bus has posted] the amber lights, if the bus is stopped in a visible place?" he said.

“I am a customer of these kinds of buses because my daughter takes the bus," said Moya, who also expressed concerns with the lack of options to contest a ticket and receive a response in a timely manner.

“I agree with the law, that Florida statute I believe is necessary, but what I am saying is that maybe it should be improved or applied in a better way because there are some cases like mine,” Moya said. “That not a lot of people have $230 to pay. If you are not wrong it’s not fair.”

While median citations have been stopped, any other school bus camera citations are continuing. If cited, drivers must pay or challenge it in the courts.

NBC6 has sent questions to the sheriff and police department, the school district, the Eleventh Judicial Court, the Florida Department of Education, and BusPatrol America.

BusPatrol sent out a statement in response to Cordero-Stutz’s post saying, "BusPatrol deeply appreciates our Miami-Dade community partners, and we have full faith in the Sheriff to enforce the traffic laws around school buses and our children. As always, enforcement decisions around citation issuance are made by the law enforcement agency as they have the sole discretion in this area."

Prior to Friday, they sent NBC6 this statement:

"According to national data, Florida ranks second in the U.S. for fatal school bus accidents and Northeast Florida officials reported three fatalities of students already in 2025 while walking to their bus stops. BusPatrol is committed to keeping students safe while they travel to and from school by using cameras inside and outside of every school bus in a district’s fleet. While other providers may only offer to cherry-pick a handful of buses with safety equipment, BusPatrol uniquely commits to outfitting every bus in a district’s fleet so every student’s safety is prioritized. We also use state-of-the-art AI technology to identify violation hot spots on bus routes that can point out potentially dangerous places for a school district to address before a student is hit or killed while crossing for their school bus.

“Importantly, BusPatrol only enters into agreements after careful legal review from school districts and attorneys at the school district and county level. Because BusPatrol’s mission is to be an excellent community partner and improve student bus stop safety, our program follows every law at the district, county and state level; and if those processes were ever amended, we would continue to do so. Safety is paramount to us and that is why citations are only issued to drivers after review and approval by local law enforcement, working in partnership with the school district in that county."