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New Florida Law Stiffens Penalties for Failing to Stop for School Bus

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BRADENTON – HB 1239, the "Cameron Mayhew Act,“ creates harsher penalties for drivers who fail to stop for a school bus and cause serious bodily injury or death. It was signed into law by Governor Rick Scott this week.

The legislation was requested by Michael Mayhew and Sherry Stevens, the parents of Cameron Mayhew, a sophomore at Fort Myers High School who died in June of 2016 after being struck by a driver who neglected to stop for a school bus. The driver of the vehicle was penalized with a 6-month license suspension and a $1000 fine.

"I cannot express the pain and heartache we endure every day since my precious son Cameron Mayhew was taken from us,“ said Sherry Stevens, mother of Cameron Mayhew. "My son lost his life because someone was running late for work and the time clock was more important than the warning lights on the school bus This tragic event not only affected our family, it has affected our entire community. We need stricter penalties. Stricter penalties will save lives, and those lives belong to our children."

The new law will take effect July 1, 2017.

"No parent should have to endure the loss of a child, especially in such a heartbreaking manner as the Mayhew family lost Cameron,“ said Representative Dane Eagle (R-Cape Coral). "In this case, it is clear our laws were insufficient to appropriately address the circumstances of this tragic incident. I am hopeful the stiffer penalties provided in this legislation, and by making them mandatory, we can prevent this from happening again."

"While nothing can replace the loss of a child, by passing this legislation we can hope to prevent this sort of senseless tragedy in the future,“ added Senator Kathleen Passidomo (R-Naples). "As a mother of three daughters, my heart grieves for the Mayhew family. I’m proud to honor Cameron’s memory with the passage of this important legislation to make our community safe and keep tragedies like this from ever happening again.“

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