Despite recent lawsuits against cities installing red light cameras, Boynton Beach has plans to move forward with the concept.

Stephanie Slater, spokeswoman for the Boynton Police Department, said there is no time table for the installation of these cameras that take pictures of red-light runners, then send a $125 fine for the violation.

“Everything is still just in the planning stage at this time,” Slater said.

Sgt. Michael Kelley, who supervises Boynton’s Traffic Unit, said the plan, when it comes to fruition, is to have cameras at five intersections within the city’s limits.

He said at this time, the corners of Southeast 23rd Avenue and Federal Highway, and Boynton Beach Boulevard and Congress Avenue are scheduled to have cameras installed, among others.

What makes red light cameras legal is the fact that the speeding tickets are issued as a code violation rather than traffic one, where state law comes into play. With these code violations, no points are added to a resident’s license for poor driving.

The contractor with Boynton Beach installing the cameras is American Traffic Solutions.

ATS serves more than 170 municipalities and government agencies with red-light programs using their cameras.

Despite what seems like a way to stop reckless drivers, some local lawyers would like to and are trying to eliminate the cameras by suing the communities installing them.

South Florida attorney Jason Weisser has filed 16 lawsuits in the area in seven or eight different counties, including Miami-Dade.

He said the new red light cameras are completely unconstitutional for two main reasons.

First, Weisser said the cameras ticket the owner of the car and not the driver.

“My kid could take my car, blow past a red light and I’ll get the ticket,” he said.

Next, the burden of proof is switched in these cases.

“Usually, the state has the burden to prove me guilty if a cop pulls me over,” he said. “With this, the burden is switched, and you have the burden to prove yourself innocent.”

He said the cameras eliminate the innocent till proven guilty principle.

The one thing that both sides, lawyers and the local governments, can agree on is that the new cameras might be a new source of revenue.

Weisser said Orlando made $2.5 million in the ticket issuances last year and the City of Aventura makes $175,000 each month.

“With Aventura, the first offense is $125, the second is $250 and the third is $500,” he said. “There is no other law I can think of that has a graduating penalty. It’s all about the money.”

He said he does not think the spread of these red light cameras will stop until the courts decide it is illegal.

Mike Rothman can be reached at mkrothman@tribune.com.