Florida Town Caught Misusing Red Light Camera Cash

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Full article at http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/67/6746.asp

Opa-Locka, Florida caught failing to turn over $3 million in red light camera profit to the state.

"Opa-Locka gave American Traffic Solutions (now Verra Mobility) the right to set up eight red light cameras to issue fully automated citations worth $158 each. Under state law, the city is supposed to transmit $83 from each ticket to the state Department of Revenue. Those payments are supposed to be made on a weekly basis, but the audit found this was not happening. Over eight years, Opa-Locka's for-profit vendor gave the city $8.1 million in revenue, of which $4.2 million was supposed to be turned over to the state. The city only handed over $1.2 million, leaving a $3 million shortfall."

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"Opa-Locka was also caught improperly handing out automobiles to the mayor and all four city commissioners. The city paid for a car, including full coverage insurance and tolls, for the city manager. This is a problem, since the city was obligated to report the value of any personal use of the cars to the Internal Revenue Service because it is a form of taxable income. The commissioners' cars were leased at a monthly cost of $1179."