Hillsborough Magistrate under fire over school zone enforcement

In a recent investigative report featured on Tampa Bay 28, Hillsborough County Magistrate Tom Salantras portrayed himself as a principled victim while airing his grievances with the county’s school zone speed limit enforcement program.

However, the same man who declared, “right is right and wrong is wrong,” openly admitted to refusing to enforce the law, dismissing nearly every violation that came before him in December 2025.

“It is concerning to hear that a judicial officer has expressed such definitive and public opinions regarding a program governed by Florida law, in which he is required to serve as a neutral arbiter,” said the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office in a statement. “As an attorney acting in a judicial capacity, he has taken an oath to remain fair and impartial. When strong positions are publicly articulated on matters that may come before the court, it raises significant questions about neutrality and the fairness of the proceedings over which he presides.”

The Hillsborough County Attorney’s Office added further questions about his integrity.

“When presiding over school zone camera hearings, the magistrate is acting in a quasi-judicial capacity. A neutral, impartial decision-maker who can listen to the evidence and apply the law without prejudgment is critical to these proceedings,” according to their statement. “Even the appearance of impartiality can undermine public confidence in the integrity of the hearings and violate the due process owed to all parties in compliance (with) the proceeding.”

This failure to fulfill his professional responsibilities and to support community safety is not the first strike against Salantras. In fact, it’s just the latest in a series of violations throughout his career.

Salantras spent years lying to law enforcement agencies, was fired for misconduct, resigned from a second agency following an internal investigation, and lost a bid for Sheriff before securing his most recent government post.

In 1994, Salantras was fired from the Orlando Police Department for lying on his job application and misuse of an official position. When he applied to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office the following year, he stated that he had never been fired, had never been asked to resign, and had never faced disciplinary action.

He was hired anyway, then resigned in 1996 amid an active internal investigation into his actions. A Sheriff’s Office spokesperson later confirmed he would have been fired had he not resigned first. In a fit of anger, Salantras sued the Polk County Sheriff.

The pattern continued over two decades. Salantras publicly identified himself as a “Criminal Justice Practitioner” for various Florida agencies from 1993 to 2013, at one point serving as acting chief of police for the City of Coleman. Court records show his duties there centered on grant writing. He was dismissed following conflicts over resource allocation and allegations of governmental misconduct. In 2012, he ran for sheriff of Hardee County and lost.

The program targeted by Salantras’ attack seeks to prevent speeding in school zones.

In 2023, the Florida Legislature authorized the use of cameras to enforce speed limits in school zones during the school day. Cameras capture vehicles speeding while children are in school nearby and issue notices of violation to those who are 11 mph or more over the limit.

Some violators were clocked going 40 mph over the limit, putting children at serious risk. Speeding is not only against the law but also a threat to lives in a zone that should be safe.

Data shows that enforcement reduces speeding by more than 90%.