Red Light Cameras in Tampa: Locations, $158 Fine, and Hearings

If you were flashed by one of the red light cameras in Tampa, the notice in your mailbox is a $158 civil penalty, and you have 60 days from the notice date to pay it, request a hearing, or submit a sworn affidavit transferring liability to someone else. Miss that window and the violation converts into a Uniform Traffic Citation with court costs and possible points on your license.1The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 316.0083 – Mark Wandall Traffic Safety Program; Administration; Report The program, branded Stop on Red Tampa, runs under Florida’s Mark Wandall Traffic Safety Program and currently covers 52 approaches around the city.2City of Tampa. Stop On Red Tampa

What the Notice Costs and Whether It Hits Your Record

The initial Notice of Violation is a flat $158. Pay it within 60 days and the matter is closed. It is a civil penalty, not a moving violation, so it adds no points to your driving record and is not reported to the Florida Department of Motor Vehicles. Your insurer won’t learn about it through the state system.3City of Tampa. Stop On Red Tampa Violation Notices

That changes the moment the 60-day window closes without action. The notice becomes a Uniform Traffic Citation routed through county court, which adds court costs and surcharges on top of the $158 and can bring license points that do affect insurance.3City of Tampa. Stop On Red Tampa Violation Notices The gap between a $158 civil notice and a court citation is the whole reason the 60-day deadline matters more than anything else in this process.

The Deadlines That Actually Matter

Three dates run on the same notice, and the clock starts from the date printed on it, not the day it arrived in your mailbox:1The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 316.0083 – Mark Wandall Traffic Safety Program; Administration; Report

  • The city has 30 days from the violation itself to mail you the notice. A late notice can support a challenge.
  • You have 30 days from the notice date to submit a sworn affidavit transferring liability or asserting a statutory exemption.
  • You have 60 days from the notice date to pay the $158 or request a hearing. After that, the violation escalates automatically.

If your mail was delayed, you have less time than the dates on the paper suggest. Act from the date printed on the notice.

How to Pay the $158

Tampa gives you three ways to pay, and none of them involve showing up in person. The city does not accept walk-in payments.3City of Tampa. Stop On Red Tampa Violation Notices

  • Online at ViolationInfo.com, using the Notice Number and PIN printed in the red box on the front of your notice. Major credit cards are accepted and confirmation is immediate.
  • By phone through the automated line, using the same Notice Number and PIN.
  • By mail with a check or money order to the processing center address on the notice.

If you mail it in, the date the payment is received is what counts, not the postmark. Send it with time to spare.

Review the Evidence Before You Decide

Before paying or contesting, pull up the images and video. Log in at ViolationInfo.com with the Notice Number and PIN from your notice.3City of Tampa. Stop On Red Tampa Violation Notices Watch for three things: where your vehicle sat relative to the stop bar when the light turned red, the timestamp, and whether the light was clearly red before you crossed.

Entering on yellow is legal in Florida. The violation requires that your vehicle crossed the stop bar after the signal had already changed to red. Florida also requires a minimum yellow interval of 3.4 seconds at any intersection with a red light camera, so a short yellow could form the basis of a defense if you can show the timing fell below that standard.

Right turns on red are the most common source of confusion. The turn is legal, but only after a complete stop. Rolling through triggers the camera the same way driving straight through would. Treat the right on red like a stop sign: wheels fully stopped, then go.

Tampa does not take walk-ins to view evidence. Everything happens through the portal.3City of Tampa. Stop On Red Tampa Violation Notices

If You Weren’t the Driver

The notice goes to the registered owner of the vehicle, not the person actually driving. Florida law lets you shift liability through a sworn affidavit in several situations:1The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 316.0083 – Mark Wandall Traffic Safety Program; Administration; Report

  • Someone else was driving. You must give their name, address, date of birth, and driver license number if you know it. A Uniform Traffic Citation will then be issued to that person.
  • The vehicle was stolen. Include a copy of the police report.
  • You ran the light to yield to an emergency vehicle.
  • A law enforcement officer directed you through the intersection.
  • An officer at the scene already cited the driver. Provide the serial number of that citation.

Two things to understand before you file. Tampa requires the affidavit within 30 days of the notice date, not 60.3City of Tampa. Stop On Red Tampa Violation Notices And naming another driver doesn’t erase the ticket; it hands that person a Uniform Traffic Citation, which is a worse outcome than the $158 civil notice. Forms are downloadable at ViolationInfo.com, and the affidavit must be sworn before a notary.

Requesting a Hearing

If you think the violation was issued in error, sign and mail the Hearing Request Form that came with the notice before the due date printed on it. You’ll be sent a letter with the date, time, and location.3City of Tampa. Stop On Red Tampa Violation Notices A local hearing officer reviews the camera evidence and hears your side. Common grounds include having already entered the intersection before the light turned red, an obstructed or malfunctioning signal, or one of the statutory exemptions listed above.

Do the math before requesting one. If the officer finds in your favor, the violation is dismissed and you owe nothing. If upheld, you owe $208 in Tampa: the $158 fine plus a $50 administrative fee.3City of Tampa. Stop On Red Tampa Violation Notices Statewide, costs can run up to $250 on top of the original penalty.1The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 316.0083 – Mark Wandall Traffic Safety Program; Administration; Report If you schedule a hearing and change your mind, you can cancel by paying $158 plus the $50 administrative cost before the hearing starts. That’s cheaper than losing at the hearing but more than you’d have paid by just settling the notice early.

Where the Cameras Are

Cameras cluster along Tampa’s busiest corridors. The heaviest concentrations run along Nebraska Avenue, Hillsborough Avenue, Florida Avenue, Dale Mabry Highway, Gandy Boulevard, and Kennedy Boulevard, with additional installations at Waters Avenue and Armenia Avenue, Busch Boulevard and Florida Avenue, Fowler Avenue and 30th Street, and Adamo Drive and 50th Street.2City of Tampa. Stop On Red Tampa Many intersections are monitored from multiple approaches, so you can be caught coming through from different directions at the same crossing. The city updates the list, so check tampa.gov for the current roster before assuming any intersection is unmonitored.

If Your Notice Came From Hillsborough County, Not the City

Hillsborough County runs its own red light camera program in unincorporated areas, at intersections such as Waters Avenue and Dale Mabry Highway and Sligh Avenue and Habana Avenue. If the notice came from the county, the payment portal and hearing procedure are different; the county directs residents to contact RedSpeed and follow the instructions on the back of their notice.4Hillsborough County, FL. Red Light Cameras5Hillsborough County. Red Light Ticket Process Check which agency issued your notice before using any of the Tampa-specific steps above.