Audit reveals weak vetting of Miami-Dade’s troubled school bus camera program
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Miami-Dade drivers fed up with school bus camera tickets
A Miami Herald/Tributary investigation found that Miami area drivers were receiving bogus tickets from the school district’s bus safety program, and had no way to fight them.
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Miami-Dade County Public Schools failed to appropriately vet its contract with BusPatrol, the vendor the district partnered with for its school bus camera program that vexed drivers with tickets they could not appeal, according to a newly released audit from the district’s internal auditor.
The audit concluded that the district relied on a loophole to bypass a competitive bidding process, using an exemption that allows revenue-generating contracts under $50,000 to proceed without formal solicitation.
“We found a lack of evidence that BusPatrol and the overall Program were sufficiently vetted prior to M-DCPS entering a contract with the company,” the audit states. BusPatrol was “advertised and communicated to M-DCPS a turnkey program that provides numerous services including coordination with law enforcement and adjudication and court services.” But ultimately the auditor found that the district was not prepared for the scope of coordination needed between the various agencies involved.
The auditor found that the district could not produce any documented evidence of research done by administrators about the vendor, like testimonials from other school districts who had worked with BusPatrol. The report says that staff told the auditor that vetting would have been verbal or internet research. A competitive solicitation process requires multiple references from previous clients to be documented with a bid, but since this was a revenue-generating contract, none of that was required.
In a statement, BusPatrol pointed out the audit’s confirmation that the procurement process used to enter into a contract with Miami-Dade schools was done according to the rules, although the audit argues the district should have nonetheless done their own due diligence.
“We are pleased the audit confirmed the procurement process was handled appropriately and in compliance, and remain committed to curbing dangerous driving by investing in student safety programs that protect children,” BusPatrol spokesperson Kate Spree said in a statement.
From the outset, the program was problematic. A joint investigation by the Miami Herald and The Tributary discovered widespread issues: drivers who felt they were cited improperly, others unable to contest tickets, some were given incorrect citation numbers, fined the incorrect amount and in some cases faced the threat of driver’s license suspensions. By December 2024, more than 120,000 notice of violations had been issued, creating a high volume of frustrated drivers.
By April, after more issues with the program came to light, the sheriff suspended their participation, which halted the whole program.
Frustrated drivers can’t fight back
The contract with BusPatrol was made possible by a Florida law passed in July 2023 that authorized school bus infraction detection systems. On Aug. 16, the school board voted unanimously to approve a proposal presented by school board member Danny Espino that would study the feasibility of creating a school bus camera program for Miami-Dade schools. Less than two weeks later, on Aug. 28, the district signed a contract with BusPatrol.
The program was a three-way partnership between BusPatrol, the school district, and the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office. BusPatrol installed the cameras on Miami-Dade school buses and monitored the cameras for drivers improperly passing a stopped school bus. The company then sent videos to the sheriff’s office for review, where officers approved issuing the violations. The $225 notice of violation was then mailed to the driver.
The audit, the first in a two-part review, said there should have been more coordination between the school district, BusPatrol, the Miami-Dade County Sheriff and the Clerk of Courts before the program initiated.
Auditors also faulted the district for failing to ensure that the revenue-sharing arrangement with BusPatrol was being properly calculated. Under the agreement, the company initially keeps 70 percent of the proceeds from school bus citations, with 30 percent flowing to the district. Since May 2024, the program generated $32 million in gross revenues of which about $9.7 million (30 percent) was remitted to Miami-Dade schools, according to the report. However, the report states that there was no process to verify the monthly gross revenue being reported to the district by BusPatrol.
The second portion of the audit will evaluate the program’s effectiveness.
‘Maybe the process was a little rushed’
Auditors urged the district to more carefully vet future contracts, even those technically exempt from competitive bidding. To complete their review, the office met with district staff, including Chief of Staff Jose Bueno, as well as representatives from BusPatrol, staff at the Sheriff’s Office, and the Clerk and Comptroller’s office.
Miami-Dade is not the first county with drivers that have pushed back against school bus camera programs with BusPatrol. In counties in New York and Pennsylvania, drivers have also had grievances with the company.
BusPatrol has programs in other Florida school districts like Hillsborough, Lee, and will soon bring the program to Broward County . BusPatrol spent up to $1.4 million lobbying Florida’s Legislature to adopt the bill permitting the installation of cameras on public school buses and also on laws allowing camera companies to take a cut of the proceeds, according a report from The Tributary. The report also revealed BusPatrol spent hundreds of thousands on campaign contributions at the state and local level, including to four current school board members.
School board member Roberto Alonso, who proposed the audit at a school board meeting in May, said the audit was not always welcomed internally.
“A lot of people were unhappy; nobody likes to be questioned,” Alonso said. But he credited the auditor for working hard and “really diving into it,” calling the review “a learning experience” and conceding that “maybe the process was a little rushed.”
There was no information about when or if the program would be reactivated in the audit; a law enforcement entity would be required in order to issue the citations.
Alonso said that he and some other board members agree that the Miami-Dade Schools Police, the largest school police force in the nation, should focus on student safety, not on giving out and handling the contestation of tickets.
Note: This story was updated to remove reference to Miami-Dade schools police potentially working in the school bus camera program.
This story was originally published September 24, 2025 at 4:30 AM.
