Florida town struggles with speed trap image

WALDO, Fla. -- Police chief A. W. Smith believes it's a safety issue. But to others, this tiny town's national reputation as a speed trap is all about money.

Business leaders, who are embroiled in a bitter war of words with the law-and-order chief, say he is using speed enforcement to pump up the town's coffers. But, they say, he's hurting business because people are scared to drive through Waldo.

But for Smith, there is no compromise. "Slow down and see our city or speed up and see our judge," he says.

Waldo, a community of 821 about 15 miles from Gainesville, is one of just two towns on the American Automobile Association's list of traffic traps. It receives about 25 percent of its $1.1 million budget from traffic fines. AAA estimates traffic fines make up about 1 percent of most government budgets in Florida.

"The perception is the reality," says Dena Rice, who operates a hardware store within spitting distance of police headquarters and is one of the most outspoken critics on the speed-enforcement issue in Waldo.

Caught on film

Recently, she started a contest in the chamber of commerce newsletter, offering a $100 reward for the best photo of one of Waldo's six police officers hiding in wait for those unlucky enough to get snared in the town's maze of rising and falling speed limits.

"The purpose of the contest was to bring the police out in the open," said Rice, who declined to say how many photos she had received.

She and her husband, Jim, said they aren't opposed to slowing down speeders, but they think there are too many police for a small town. They also believe police tactics are designed to generate money.

Rice sells chamber of commerce T-shirts that read, "The speed that thrills pays our bills," and "Support Waldo. Get a ticket!"

A call to Mayor Louie Davis seeking comment was not returned. However, Smith denies that the town is a speed trap.

"We practice in-your-face law enforcement," said Smith, whose officers issue about 17 citations a day, a tiny fraction of the 37,000 cars a day which pass through town on the way to Gainesville or Jacksonville.

"If we were really a speed trap," Smith said. "We would write 100 tickets a day."

But Kevin Bakewell, an AAA spokesman in Tampa, disagrees.

"We question their tactics," he said.

Smith maintains that the work of his department makes Waldo a safer place to live. Along with slowing people down, it has also reduced the number of drunken drivers, drug dealers and criminals that go through Waldo.

He said AAA has asked him to give more warnings and less tickets.

"Warnings are for children," he said.