Rock Springs Elementary School has been selected as one of the first 12 Orange County schools to receive automated speed enforcement cameras as part of a countywide effort aimed at reducing speeding in school zones. 

A traffic engineering study prepared by Kimley-Horn for Orange County identified the school zone at Rock Springs Elementary on Rock Springs Road near Faye Street as one of those selected for the program’s first phase. 

Kimley-Horn evaluated 12 schools, encompassing 14 school zones, to determine whether each location met the state requirement for a “heightened safety risk” before automated enforcement could be implemented.  

Under Florida law, local governments must document that a school zone warrants additional enforcement before installing speed detection systems. The consultant’s analysis included vehicle speed studies conducted over two school days, a review of five years of bicycle and pedestrian crash data, and research on the relationship between vehicle speeds and pedestrian safety.  

The report evaluates each school zone individually rather than ranking schools by overall safety or crash risk. It also documents traffic conditions and safety factors supporting the county’s decision to include Rock Springs in the initial rollout. 

The county also plans to add two additional schools in each County Commission district during the second and third years of the program, expanding automated enforcement beyond the initial locations, Shawn Bell, project coordinator with Orange County Public Works’ Traffic Engineering Division, said in an email to The Apopka Chief. 

Michael Ollendorff, administrator of media relations for Orange County Public Schools, said the county, not the school district, selected the locations through its traffic study and will manage the camera program. 

“The safety of our students and staff is the highest priority, especially in school zones throughout the county,” Ollendorff said in a Wednesday email to The Apopka Chief. “The district appreciates the efforts of Orange County and our law enforcement partners.” 

The report cites national research showing that higher vehicle speeds significantly increase the risk of severe injury to pedestrians and that automated enforcement has reduced speeding and crashes in other jurisdictions. 

Spectrum News 13 first reported that Orange County plans to begin the initial rollout this year before expanding the program in future phases.