Red-light cameras to go up at LeJeune Road intersection near MIA

The Miami Springs City Council approved a red-light camera expansion at one of its busiest intersections near Miami International Airport.

The new ordinance will add red-light cameras to the northbound lanes of LeJeune Road and Northwest 36th Street, after a traffic study found one red-light violation roughly every 58 seconds. The southbound lanes of LeJeune Road at that intersection already have red-light cameras.

The cameras are expected to be in place within 90 days.

“This is a major intersection and one of the biggest intersections in Dade County,” Miami Springs Police Chief Matthew Castillo said. “That is all the traffic leaving the airport, so they are kind of confused.”

The 4-0 vote on April 27 followed a 5-0 first-reading vote two weeks earlier. Councilman Joseph Dion was absent for the second vote.

City Manager J.C. Jimenez said the process required a statistical study showing the added camera was warranted. Under state law, cities must document a heightened safety risk before adding a new red-light camera.

The March 18 study recorded 751 red-light violations during a 12-hour review period, or one about every 58 seconds. It also recorded 867 stop-bar violations, that is, when a driver at a red light fails to make a complete stop behind the white line of the crosswalk, according to a police memo included in the April 27 meeting packet.

The worst hour for both red-light and stop-bar violations was 8 to 9 a.m., when the study recorded 83 violations. The next-highest periods were 1 to 2 p.m., with 81 violations, and 7 to 8 a.m., with 80.

But the problem was not limited to rush hour. The study found at least 59 violations in every hour between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., showing a steady pattern of red-light and stop-bar violations throughout the day.

The northbound right-turn lane was the biggest trouble spot, accounting for 558 violations, nearly two-thirds of the lane-wise total. That makes the enforcement not just a red-light issue, but also a right-turn-on-red and pedestrian-safety issue near the airport corridor.

At the city’s stated minimum fine of $158 per red-light camera citation, the 751 red-light violations would represent a theoretical $118,658 in civil penalties, or about $9,888 per hour, if each violation had resulted in a citation. That figure is only an illustration based on the study count and the city’s stated fine, not an amount the city issued or collected.

Some stop-bar violations may overlap with red-light violations, since a driver who runs a red light often crosses the stop bar first.

Miami Springs says its camera system is activated when a vehicle fails to stop behind the stop bar or clearly marked stop line while facing a red signal. The new northbound camera also could capture unlawful right turns on red by drivers who fail to stop or who turn in a manner the city describes as not careful and prudent.

The intersection carries a heavy mix of airport traffic, including rental cars, taxis, ride-share vehicles, hotel shuttles and workers heading to and from Miami International Airport.

“A lot of our accidents occur northbound on LeJeune Road,” said Castillo, the police chief.

The intersection also serves bicyclists and pedestrians, including workers and visitors from Miami Springs’ 21 hotels, who cross the busy roadway to reach public transit.

Miami Springs already has five red-light camera locations.

This story was originally published May 7, 2026 at 9:54 AM.