Speedsters appear to be getting the message near Anna Maria Elementary School.
Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer said seven motorists were recorded speeding through the school speed zone Aug. 10, the first day of the 2026-27 school year. The number is down from 26 motorists on the first day in August 2025.
The motorists weren’t going nearly as fast, either. The highest speed recorded in the 4700 block of Gulf Drive was 27 mph compared with 42 mph on the first day in 2025.
The posted speed limit at AME, 4700 Gulf Drive, drops from 25 mph to 15 mph when the school-zone lights are flashing.
Tokajer said two of the seven motorists recorded speeding this year were Holmes Beach residents.
The enforcement program, now in its second year, uses cameras to automatically record and issue notices for speeding.
The police department instituted a grace period with the introduction of the program in 2025. Motorists received warnings from the first day until Sept. 8, 2025, when violation notices for $100 fines began going out.
Tokajer said 1,189 violation notices were issued during the 2025-26 school year, including 264 to island residents. Including the warnings and violations, cameras detected 1,353 speeding incidents.
The cameras operate during designated school-zone periods: 7:31-8:40 a.m. and 2:46-3:45 p.m.
“We’ve made it known that we’re enforcing it,” Tokajer said. “We have proper signage up, and we would expect that in year two of enforcement … that people would slow down.”
This year’s first day number represents nearly a 73% decline in motorists recorded speeding compared with the first day of school last year.
“Take to heart that we’re doing this for the kids,” Tokajer said.