Where To Find Us Page 3
Thursday, August 6, 2026 ~ Volume 71 ~ Issue Number 36 ~ $1.00
County to Refund Drivers for Red Light Camera Fees By Matt Meduri Suffolk County’s Red Light Safety Program was authorized in 2009 and took effect in 2010. For fourteen years, Suffolk drivers faced 216 cameras at various intersections through western Suffolk. After a significant push from Hauppauge Republicans in the County Legislature, the program ended in December 2024. However, what remained was the legal ramifications of the administrative surcharge that was found to have been illegally applied. Beginning in 2013, the $30 administrative fee was tacked onto the $50 fine. A State appeals court ruled in 2024 that the fee was illegal because it violated a “plain reading” of the State law authorizing such programs. State law authorized a $50 fine and a $25 late fee. Now, the County has struck a $57.5 million class-action settlement that will repay drivers up to $36 for those administrative fees. $30 will be for the surcharge itself, $6 for interest. The County has agreed to pay up to $45 million, plus the admin costs of the program. The plaintiffs’ lawyers will receive $12.5 million. Reimbursements per driver could be closer to $20 if all eligible drivers apply on the website, which has not yet been rolled out.
A red light camera at Patchogue Holbrook Road and Furrows Road in Holbrook, December 2024 (Credit - Matt Meduri)
Centereach Holds
‘National Night Out’ By Diane Caudullo Community Matters! It is more than just an article heading. It is what makes - or breaks - an entire neighborhood or town. Quite literally, the most important aspect of any neighborhood is its people. It is all about the connection between the people who live there. This past Tuesday Night, August 4, was our annual National Night Out where the locals come out in support of our law enforcement and emergency service type personnel. It really is a sight to behold, and worth highlighting is all the key community members that you simply see at every event. There are many local businesspeople who, at National Night Out, set up a tent that you could interpret as their way of advertising or looking for customers. Continued on page 13
Officers of the Sixth Precinct at National Night Out in Centereach (Credit - Diane Caudullo)
FULL STORIES ON:
County Bans Sale of Synthetic Kratom Page 5
Murray’s Message: Happy 250th Page 10
Lake Ronkonkoma Resident Turns 110 Page 15