New School Year, New Security Rules

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🏫 Locked Doors & Peace of Mind

If you’ve got a student in a Southshore school, get ready for some changes that are locking things down, literally.

Thanks to a statewide update dubbed the “Locked Door Policy” (which sounds like the title of a Lifetime movie), all classroom doors must remain locked during the school day, and gates and exterior doors have strict new hours: locked tight from 30 minutes before the first bell until 30 minutes after dismissal.

The goal? Keep students safe.
The trade-off? Maybe a few headaches at drop-off, pick-up, or when you forget that signed permission slip in the car.

👀 Some parents have raised eyebrows about how this might affect emergency evacuations or how older schools had to give up classroom space to install new front-office vestibules (read: controlled entry areas). And if you’re wondering whether your kid's teacher now has to fumble with keys during every fire drill, you're not alone.

But on the upside: schools across the county are now integrating high-tech camera systems, giving first responders real-time access to footage and digital maps if something goes sideways. It’s Mission: Impossible, but with more juice boxes and less Tom Cruise.

📦 Bonus feature: The new system lets security teams instantly locate where an emergency badge was activated and pull up cameras within 75 feet. That’s not just smart, it’s super smart.

So while it may take a minute to get used to locked gates and buzz-in entries, one thing’s for sure: Southshore is stepping up its safety game.

Because even in a community where we love to keep things casual, when it comes to our kids, we take protection seriously. Now, where did we put that PTA badge again?

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What’s Washing Up on The Shore This Week

Slow Down, or Pay Up (Even If the Lights Aren’t Flashing)

School’s officially back in session, and if you're a driver with a heavy foot and a short attention span, consider this your warning: those school zone cameras are watching—even when the lights aren’t flashing.

Yep, welcome to the new era of “gotcha” speed enforcement. Across Southshore and greater Hillsborough County, thousands of drivers are getting slapped with $100 fines for going over 20 mph in school zones. But here’s the kicker: even if the sign says “when flashing” and the lights aren’t flashing, you can still get fined.

Makes sense, right? No? You’re not alone. Plenty of locals have tried to contest their tickets, arguing that the lights weren’t on, the zones weren’t clear, or the speed limit signs required the eyes of an owl and the reflexes of a ninja to interpret in real-time.

And they’ve lost. Every. Single. Time.

So far, nearly 4,400 citations have been handed out in Hillsborough County. And of the handful of drivers who dared to challenge them in court? Not one has been dismissed. Oh, and it’ll cost you an extra $75 just to lose in person.

Now, to be clear: we all want our kids safe. Slowing down in school zones is a no-brainer. But the confusing signage, non-flashing flashers, and impossible-to-read time windows have left a lot of drivers wondering whether this is about safety or surprise fundraising. (Like those speed limits we talked about a few issues ago.)

The bottom line? If you're driving near a school, even one without kids in sight and lights off, assume it’s a trap, slow your roll, and save your cash. Because in Southshore, back-to-school season now comes with pencils, backpacks, and painfully precise photo enforcement.

Drive safe out there, y’all. Your mailbox (and wallet) will thank you.

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