CITRUS COUNTY, Fla. — Law enforcement agencies across the state are cracking down this week on speeders.
Sheriff's deputies say people are not paying attention and flying through school zones, going anywhere from 5 to 20 m.p.h. faster than the speed limit.
"It’s a traffic stop. You were doing 31 in a 20 school zone," said deputy Tom Horton as he pulled over one driver in front of Citrus High School in Inverness.
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This week law enforcement across the state is joining a task force called Operation School Zone.
"The purpose is for community awareness and for the protection and safety of our youth," said Major Elena Vitt, with the Citrus County Sheriff's office.
Vitt says school safety has become such a priority in Citrus County that they’ve come up with their own campaign called “Making A Greater Individual Commitment to school zone safety" with the hashtag #MAGIC2SchoolZoneSafety.
"We’re trying to educate them to ensure that they know when they need to stop for school buses and pedestrians, and that they know they’re not supposed to speed through those school zones," said Vitt.
School zone fines are expensive ranging anywhere from $150 to $400 depending on the speed.
Even after the statewide campaign is over, Citrus County says it is committed to enforcing safety near schools.
