How much is a school bus camera ticket in Miami-Dade?

$225. The ticket is mailed to the vehicle's registered owner after the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office reviews the camera video. More than 27,000 were issued between May and late September 2026.

Do you have to stop for a school bus on the other side of the road in Florida?

Usually yes. Drivers in both directions must stop when a bus displays its stop signal. The exception is a divided highway with an unpaved space of at least 5 feet, a raised median, or a physical barrier, where opposite-direction traffic may continue.

How do I contest a school bus camera ticket in Florida?

Within 60 days of the notice being sent, you can request a hearing, held in person or by live video, or submit an affidavit stating someone else was driving the vehicle. Otherwise the $225 penalty must be paid.

Miami-Dade school bus cameras have caught 27,000 drivers since May 2026

Nine cameras on every bus, a human review of every video, and a $225 ticket in the mail. Here's how it works.

Drivers who pass a stopped school bus in Miami-Dade County are getting caught at a steady clip. Since the county's school bus camera program came back online in May, more than 27,000 citations have gone out, Local 10 reported on September 30. Each one carries a $225 fine.

At $225 apiece, that's about $6 million in four months, Local 10 calculated, though some violations will likely be dismissed. The revenue is split between the camera company and the school district.

The program is run by the school district, the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office, and BusPatrol, the camera vendor. Each of the district's roughly 900 buses carries nine cameras: four on the outside to record violations and license plates, one on the roof for an overview, and four inside for student safety, CBS Miami reported. The sheriff's office says a person reviews the full video before any ticket is mailed.

The program has a rocky past. It was suspended in April 2025 after complaints and some drivers being billed incorrectly. It returned in May 2026 with more cameras and more oversight, starting with a two-week warning period before tickets began on May 18.

When a school bus stops, "the law is clear," Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz said when the program relaunched. "Drivers must stop." Superintendent Jose Dotres called illegal passing a "serious concern" that happens "far too often."

Under Florida law, a driver approaching a school bus that is displaying its stop signal has to come to a full stop and stay stopped until the signal is withdrawn. That applies in both directions on most roads. The exception is a divided highway: drivers going the opposite direction don't have to stop if there is an unpaved space of at least 5 feet, a raised median, or a physical barrier between them and the bus.

Amber lights mean the bus is about to stop. Red means stop.

A ticket comes by first-class mail to the vehicle's registered owner, with the video images attached. Under state law, the owner has 60 days after the notice is sent to pay, request a hearing, or submit an affidavit saying someone else was driving. Hearings can be held in person or by live video.

Deputies say the two excuses they hear most are "I didn't know the bus had stopped" and "It wasn't me," according to Local 10.