4 March 14-20, 2024 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times | music | cafe | culture | Night+Day | news | letters | coNteNts | MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2008 miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | CONTENTS | LETTERS | RIPTIDE | METRO | NIGHT+DAY | STAGE | ART | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | ▼ DAVIE FAST COMPANY DAVIE PARTNERS WITH CONTROVERSIAL TRAFFIC-CAMERA COMPANY FOR SCHOOL ZONE SPEED MONITORING. BY NAOMI FEINSTEIN D rivers in Davie will have to start slowing down through school zones if they want to avoid hefty fines. On February 28, Verra Mo- bility Corp. announced it has teamed up with the Town of Davie to implement speed-de- tection cameras in school zones around town. The effort will expand the town’s current en- forcement system to include 35 speed-cam- era locations in school zones. “The Town of Davie program is the first in the state of Florida to partner with our state-of- the-art camera enforcement program,” reads the press release announcing the partnership. Davie Police Chief Stephen Kinsey said that the cameras will ensure safer driving through- out the town’s school zones, which the depart- ment does not have the resources to constantly monitor. He did not specify a timeline for when the installation will be complete. “With 50 school zones, limited staffing, and other demands for service, it becomes challeng- ing to cover each zone every day, and unfortu- nately, impatient and distracted drivers pose the greatest risk,” he added in the news release. Described as a “global leader in smart transportation,” Verra offers red light, speed, and school bus “stop arm” camera enforce- ment. Formerly known as American Traffic Solutions, the company rebranded as Verra Mobility Corporation in 2018 following acqui- sitions of Highway Toll Administration and Euro Parking Collection. (Highway Toll Ad- ministration was founded by David Centner, a Miami-based tech entrepreneur who co- founded the Centner Academy private school at the center of former Miami commissioner Alex Díaz de la Portilla’s bribery case.) Davie says the revenue from its new safety cameras will fund public safety initiatives and a school crossing guard program. The town’s contract with Verra Mobility for school zone speed enforcement has a five-year term with an option to extend for an additional five years. The speed cameras will begin operating thirty minutes before the start of school and will shut down thirty minutes after a school closes, according to the town. Verra has had red-light cameras in place in Davie since 2011. The town’s new program was facilitated by a 2023 state law that allows Florida munic- ipalities and counties to install speed-safety cameras in school zones. Under the legisla- tion, which took effect this past June, a driver traveling more than ten miles per hour over the speed limit during school hours can re- ceive a $100 fine through a camera-enforced ticket, though no points will be assessed on their license. In January, the Miami-Dade Commission approved a school zone speed-camera deal with Illinois-based traffic enforcement com- pany RedSpeed, which the county estimates could rake in $144 million for Miami-Dade and $71 million for the company over a multi- year period. Arizona-based Verra has been at the cen- ter of debate over automated traffic-safety enforcement in Florida since the dawn of the technology’s rollout in the state. The company was an early player in Florida’s red-light camera market, which spawned years of legal battles and criticism that cities were using the cameras as a cash cow rather than to improve safety. Studies have shown red-light cameras have led to more crashes at some intersections, as drivers slam on their brakes in fear of getting a fine. (As for speed enforcement cameras, a widely cited meta-analysis found that they do reduce crash rates.) A state appeals court ruled in 2015 that the company’s red-light traffic program with the City of Hollywood was invalid because it im- properly delegated ticket-issuing authority to a private entity. Local governments that con- tract with Verra have since taken steps to en- sure law enforcement officers review and sign off on each citation generated by the company’s cameras. Verra — which, at the time of its rebrand- ing, had more than 4,000 enforcement cam- eras operating in more than 200 jurisdictions — has had its fair share of controversies over the past few years. In 2020, Verra was sued by a whistle- blower and New York City over allegations that it installed noncompliant and unneces- sary electric poles and billed the city millions of dollars for the work. In March 2021, the New York City Department of Investigation appointed a three-year-long independent monitor to oversee the company because of “concerns about deficiencies with respect to Verra’s installation of photo enforcement cameras.” Verra ultimately paid $1.3 million to settle the litigation. Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration ac- knowledged in the settlement agreement that it could have pursued civil charges against the company under the New York False Claims Act, according to the New York Daily News. In 2018, the company was slapped with a potential class action lawsuit by Steven Pin- cus, who claimed a $7.90 credit card fee, which Verra added to his $158 fine for a North Miami Beach red-light violation, was a form of unjust enrichment. Pincus’ case was fielded in the Florida Su- preme Court after the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals asked the court to decide if the company violated state law. The justices struck down Pincus’ claim, finding that the company’s option to pay via credit card “gave value in exchange” for the fee. | RIPTIDE | A Florida law passed in 2023 is paving the way for speed-detection cameras to be installed in school zones across the Sunshine State. Photo by Patrick Oberem/Getty Images ▼ SOUTHWEST RANCHES FLAG ON THE PLAY TYREEK HILL DENIES CLAIMS IN INSTAGRAM MODEL’S ASSAULT SUIT. BY IZZY KAPNICK P ushing back against allegations that he broke an Instagram model’s leg during an off-the-rails football lesson, Tyreek Hill says a mishap with a pooch on his property was to blame for the woman’s injury. Hill’s attorney, J.B. Collins, issued a lengthy statement denying the allegations in a lawsuit filed by Sophie Hall, who claims the Miami Dol- phins receiver angrily rammed into her and frac- tured her leg after he became upset that she jostled him in an offensive line drill. “Counsel for Ms. Hall has intentionally omitted from their complaint that Ms. Hall fell over a dog while doing drills with Mr. Hill, which is when she sustained the alleged injuries,” Collins wrote in the statement provided to New Times. Hall filed the lawsuit on February 23, claiming the incident occurred while she was staying at Hill’s mansion in Southwest Ranches, a town in west Broward County, at the invitation of Hill. The lawsuit alleges that on June 28, 2023, during a football lesson on the turf field outside the player’s home, the six-foot-one-inch model made Hill lose his balance while they were prac- ticing a defensive pass-rush play. According to the lawsuit, the 29-year-old NFL player became “embarrassed by his loss of stability as a result of contact by a woman” and proceeded to aggres- sively slam into her, fracturing her leg in a subse- quent simulated play. Hill’s lawyer rebutted the claim, saying Hill was not angered by the contact. “The notion that Mr. Hill became upset be- cause Ms. Hall ‘held her own’ in playful football drills is absurd,” the statement reads. The lawsuit makes mention of a “small puppy” trotting around on the turf field, noting that the animal interfered with a play at one point in the practice ses- sion. But the pleading frames the timeline such that the dog had nothing to do with the leg-breaking incident. Hall says she remained at Hill’s house in excruciating pain after the incident, and that no one summoned an ambulance or medical treatment for her. Her fracture was not diagnosed until she arrived back home in Pasco County, Florida, in early July, she says. The lawsuit tries to link Hall’s injury to the receiver’s alleged “history of violent and aggressive behavior towards women,” a not-so- subtle reference to Hill’s 2014 domestic violence case, in which he was accused of choking and punching his then-girlfriend, who was pregnant. Hill pleaded guilty and received three years of probation. In addition to negligence, the complaint pleads counts for assault and battery, which Hill’s lawyer decried in his statement, calling their in- clusion a “cunning” legal tactic. The attorney says he believes the lawsuit was drafted in a manner designed “to generate publicity” to pressure Hill into a payout. Collins says a claim is pending with Hill’s home insurer, and that the player is working with the insurer’s representatives “to ensure that they cover Ms. Hall’s medical bills” from the incident. [email protected] THE LAWSUIT TRIES TO LINK HALL’S INJURY TO THE RECEIVER’S ALLEGED “HISTORY OF VIOLENT AND AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR TOWARDS WOMEN.”
