Officials: Palm Bay getting rid of red-light cameras in April

At $158 a ticket, Palm Bay has made a fistful of money from red-light cameras, but officials believe the cameras have not changed people’s habits.

“I drive every day.  I don’t think they’ve cut down on the crashes,” said Chris Hill, a Palm Bay driver. “Too much Big Brother, too many eyes watching you all the time.”

Steven Ferris is a red-light camera supporter, but he’s finding himself in the minority.  The city has had the cameras in place at three intersections for about six years.

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“I believe that they work; they deter people from going through traffic lights,” Ferris said.

The cameras have made quite a few enemies because people don’t like the Big Brother thing.

“We’ve got Big Brother looking over our shoulder all the time now, and it’s kinda scary,” said Andrew Cook.

A recent report from the police department that showed no change in driving habits or red-light crashes spelled the beginning of the end for the cameras.

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The company that supplied the cameras made more money than the city from the fines, officials said. The cameras will go as soon as the company’s contract with the city expires in April.