Fuck Lawtey
Florida’s cutest little school-zone money trap
US 301 & Lake Street. Forty-five posted. Twenty enforced. Lights dark. Camera hot. Pay $100 — or risk $250 more to “fight” it.
The verdict
Lawtey, go fuck yourself.
Not because kids shouldn’t be safe — because a ~300-foot zone with contradictory signs, non-flashing beacons, and a private camera vendor is a revenue machine dressed up as child protection.
At a glance
The Lawtey trap in numbers
How it works
Five signs. One camera. Zero chill.
Drivers on US 301 through Lawtey Elementary get a signage sequence that looks like a normal school zone — until the mail arrives from speedviolation.com.
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45 mph is the posted limit
Drivers approach on US 301 with clear SPEED LIMIT 45 signs on both sides of the road. That is the speed most through-traffic is legally traveling.
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Photo-enforced hours appear
A SPEED LIMIT PHOTO ENFORCED plaque lists 6:30 AM TO 2:40 PM — a long daytime window that does not match typical “flashing only” school-zone expectations.
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Warning, not a timed 20 mph plate
A SCHOOL SPEED LIMIT 20 ahead warning appears, but drivers do not get a conventional timed school speed-limit assembly that clearly restates hours on a regulatory plate.
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“20 MPH WHEN FLASHING” — often dark
The overhead school-zone sign says the reduced speed applies WHEN FLASHING. Beacons are commonly dark outside the brief before/after school flash windows — while cameras still enforce 20 mph all day.
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Camera fires in a ~300 ft trap
A RedSpeed pole camera sits in the short zone through the Lake Street intersection. Tickets start at 10+ mph over 20 (i.e., 31+). Then END SCHOOL ZONE and back to 45.
The letter
Pay up — or pay more to argue
Option A: $100. Option C: request a hearing — and if you lose, the City of Lawtey’s notice says you’re on the hook for the fine plus costs not to exceed $250. That’s not a fair fight. That’s a toll booth with a magistrate costume.
Drivers talking
Same story, over and over
Bradford County Facebook threads are full of people ticketed mid-day with dark beacons — locals, visitors, even reports involving county officials. Hundreds of tickets a month in the early RedSpeed era.
Quick answers
FAQ
What is the Lawtey school zone speed camera scam?
On US 301 at Lake Street in Lawtey, Florida — just south of Lawtey Elementary — drivers see a posted 45 mph limit, then a “Speed Limit Photo Enforced 6:30 AM to 2:40 PM” sign, a school speed limit ahead warning, and an overhead “20 MPH WHEN FLASHING” sign whose beacons often are not flashing. A RedSpeed camera still tickets vehicles over 20 mph during that daytime window. The zone is roughly 300 feet / about 127 yards including the intersection.
Do the school zone lights have to be flashing for a ticket?
Drivers reasonably expect “20 MPH WHEN FLASHING” to mean the reduced limit applies when beacons flash. Florida’s school-zone camera law and local practice allow enforcement during posted school-session hours even when lights are dark. That mismatch — signage saying one thing, cameras enforcing another — is the core of the Lawtey trap.
Who operates the Lawtey speed cameras?
Lawtey Police Department partnered with RedSpeed USA. Notices of violation are handled through secure.speedviolation.com and the vendor phone line 1-888-212-4258. Payments are directed to the City of Lawtey, with a mailing address listed in Bradenton, Florida.
How much is a Lawtey school zone camera ticket?
The civil Notice of Violation is typically $100. Online or phone payment may add a 5% convenience fee. If you request a hearing and lose, the notice warns of the $100 fine plus additional county or municipal costs not to exceed $250. Ignoring the notice can escalate to a Uniform Traffic Citation with higher costs.