Drivers on Miami Beach streets will need to slow down starting Thursday, Aug. 13, when school zone speed limits kick back in for the new school year.

The City of Miami Beach said on X that reduced speed limits will be enforced near local schools once Miami-Dade County Public Schools reopen. Miami Beach Senior High, Nautilus Middle School and Bay Harbor K-8 Center are among the area campuses resuming classes that day.

Under Florida law, school zone speed limits in urbanized areas are capped at 20 mph. The reduced limit takes effect 30 minutes before school starts, stays active through the school day and runs 30 minutes after dismissal. Signs within each zone display the specific enforcement hours, or flashing beacons activate during those windows.

The financial penalties are steep. Speeding fines in school zones are doubled under Florida Statute 318.18. A driver caught going 10 to 14 mph over the posted limit would face a $200 fine instead of the standard $100. At 15 to 19 mph over, the fine jumps to $300. Drivers also pick up points on their license: three points automatically, four for exceeding the limit by 16 mph or more, and six if speeding causes a crash in a school zone.

Automated speed camera enforcement resumes countywide on Aug. 13 as well, according to the South Miami Police Department. Miami-Dade County's RedSpeed camera program covered 206 school zones in unincorporated areas as of its October 2024 launch and issues a flat $100 civil citation to drivers going 10 mph or more over the limit. Those camera-issued tickets do not add points to a driver's license or affect insurance rates.

Whether Miami Beach operates its own automated speed cameras in school zones, separate from the county program, has not been confirmed by the police department. Regardless, officers can enforce the reduced limits with traditional traffic stops, and the doubled-fine schedule applies.

School zone limits are not in effect on weekends, holidays or days when school is not in session. Enforcement continues on all scheduled school days through the end of the 2026-27 academic year.