Speeding Ticket Options and Fines

What to do if you Get a Traffic Ticket in Florida

Almost 3 million traffic citations were issued in 2017 in Florida — that's 3 million tickets. The bulk of these traffic tickets are for speeding but improper lane change, careless driving, running red lights, and other moving violations were very common as well.

Options Available to Satisfy a Traffic Citation

You are required to satisfy your traffic citation within thirty (30) calendar days. Your options may depend on your driving record but if your drivers license is in good standing typical options are as follows:

  1. Elect traffic school option
  2. Pay the civil penalty
  3. Request a court appearance

Traffic School Option

The benefits of electing the traffic school option in Florida are that your auto insurance cannot go up and your policy cannot be cancelled. If you complete a state approved traffic school course and submit your certificate of completion to the clerk of court in the county where you received the ticket by their specified deadline adjudication is withheld, which means you are not deemed guilty and you received no points.

Florida Approved Traffic Schools

DMVFlorida.org offers Florida State of Florida authorized traffic school online.

Another option is to look in your local yellow pages under traffic school or driving instruction.

State of Florida Policy for Electing Traffic School

Florida Statute 626.9541(1)(o) 12 States: "No insurer shall impose or request an additional premium, cancel a policy, or issue a non renewal notice on any insurance policy or contract because of any traffic infraction when adjudication of guilt is withheld and no points have been accessed pursuant to s.318.14(9) and (10). However, this subparagraph does not apply to traffic infractions involving accidents in which the insurer has incurred a loss due to the fault of the insured."

Pay the Civil Penalty

If you pay the full fine points will be applied against your drivers license when applicable and your auto insurance rates may go up or your policy may be cancelled.

Traffic Fines

Fines vary by County as an Example we have provided the fines for Orange County (The Orlando Area)

MPH Over Limit Traffic School
6 to 9 MPH $129.00
10 to 14 MPH $204.00
15 to 19 MPH $254.00
20 to 29 MPH $279.00
30 MPH & Over Court Mandatory

The fines for a Florida speeding ticket listed above are only used to illustrate the typical fees. You should verify your fine with clerk of court in the county where you received your traffic ticket.

Request a Court Appearance

If you elect the option to request a court appearance for the violation(s) and it is determined that an infraction has been committed, the Court may adjudicate you guilty, assess points, impose a civil penalty not to exceed $500 ($1000 for violations involving a death or speeding in school/construction zones) or require you to attend traffic school, or all of the above. Additionally, your insurance rates may go up or your policy may be cancelled.

If you speed in a school zone or construction zone your fine can be doubled.