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www.eStateTrafficSchool.com |
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Options for certain criminal traffic charges involving drivers license or registration What is an infraction violation? Where can I pay my traffic ticket? How much is my fine? Do I have any options? Do you take partial payments? Do you accept credit card payments? Can I get an extension of time to pay? How do I request a court date for an infraction violation? Do I have to personally appear in court on an infraction violation? How do I elect to attend the defensive driving course? Where can I find information on defensive driving courses? Can i get an extension to complete the defensive driving course? What happens if I fail to attend the defensive driving course? Do I need to do anything after I attend the defensive driving course? Improper equipment citations What are my options if I was charged with not carrying a drivers license (F.S. 322.15); not having proof of insurance (F.S. 316.646); or not having my registration (F.S. 320.0605/320.07)? Can I get a driving record history? Can the clerk's office advise me about the number of points against my license? How do I get my drivers license reinstated? What do do if my citation has been turned over to collections? Criminal Violations require a mandatory court appearance. They include such charges as Driving Under the Influence (DUI), and Reckless Driving. A notice will be mailed to the address on your traffic ticket. Failure to appear at the date and time indicated on the notice may result in a warrant being issued for your arrest and/or your license being suspended. OPTIONS FOR CERTAIN CRIMINAL TRAFFIC CHARGES INVOLVING DRIVERS LICENSE OR REGISTRATION 322.03(1) - No Valid Drivers License322.03 (1)(a) - Fail to Surrender Drivers License/Commercial Drivers License 322.03(1)(b) - Having More Than One Drivers License 322.03(3)(b) - Operating Commercial Motor Vehicle without Appropriate License 322.03(4) - No Motorcycle Endorsement 322.03(5) - Drivers License Expired for More Than 4 Months 320.07(3)(c) - Vehicle or Motor Home Registration Expired for More Than 6 Months (second or subsequent offense.) 322.34(2) - Driving While License Suspended/Revoked for failing to pay a fine, failing to appear in court, or failing to attend a defensive driving course. Pursuant to F.S. 318.14(10)(a), if you are charged with one of the offenses listed above you may be able to avoid a court appearance by completing an affidavit, presenting a valid drivers license or registration, and paying court costs in the amount of $140.00. You may make this election 3 times in your lifetime but no more than once during a 12 month period. You must contact the Clerk's Office at one of these locations WHAT IS AN INFRACTION VIOLATION? A civil traffic infraction is a non-criminal violation that can usually be disposed of by payment of the civil penalty (fine) or election to attend a defensive driving course. Infractions are typically broken down into three (3) categories: 1. Pedestrian violations, such as jaywalking.2. Non-moving violations, such as not wearing a seat belt. 3. Moving violations, such as speeding. WHERE CAN I PAY MY TRAFFIC TICKET? Payment of your fine may be made by mail or delivered in person at the apropriate Clerk's Offices If you choose to mail your payment you MUST include your ticket number. All CHECKS AND MONEY ORDERS MUST BE PAYABLE TO "CLERK OF COURT" AND MADE OUT IN U.S. FUNDS DRAWN ON A U.S. EXCHANGE BANK. Please do not send cash by mail. Florida State Laws have been enacted to assess traffic fines. The revenues generated from traffic fines are disbursed to numerous state, county and municipal agencies. Generally, the Clerk's office receives only one-half of one percent of the overall fine amount to help defray administrative costs. Some fine amounts are located on our 'Fine & Service Fees' page. You have 30 calendar days from the date you received a ticket to select one of the following four options: * Pay the fine.* Contact the Clerk's office for detailed instructions on how to obtain the required affidavit and the election fine amount to attend defensive driving school. * Apply for a 30 day extension to pay the fine. * Request a court date. If you fail to select one of these options within 30 days of the citation being issued, your drivers license will be suspended. If your license is suspended, late fees and license reinstatement fees will be added to the original fine. Unpaid citations may be assigned to a collection agency to recover all outstanding fines and costs. Partial payments are not accepted. Full payment of the fine must be remitted within thirty (30) days of issuance of the citation. DO YOU ACCEPT CREDIT CARD PAYMENTS At this time the Clerk's Office accepts cash, checks, and money orders only. CAN I GET AN EXTENSION OF TIME TO PAY? If you are unable to pay the fine within thirty (30) days of issuance of the citation, you may contact the Clerk's office prior to the thirty (30) days elapsing at one of the locations listed below IN PERSON OR IN WRITING to determine if you are eligible for a thirty (30) day extension. HOW DO I REQUEST A COURT DATE FOR AN INFRACTION VIOLATION? If you wish to contest the citation, or otherwise appear in court, you must request a court date, in writing, within thirty (30) days of the issuance date of your citation. Traffic cases are normally heard by court-appointed Civil Traffic Infraction Hearing Officers. However, if you wish to have your case heard by a County Court Judge instead of a Hearing Officer, you must state this in your written request for a court date. The request must also include your name and citation number. You may deliver the request in person, or mail the request to Clerk of Circuit Court. A court notice will be mailed to the address listed on the citation unless your request for court includes a notice of change of address. Please be advised that the Court does not make a verbatim record of these proceedings. If you wish to have a record made, it is your responsibility to supply and operate a tape recorder. If you choose to record a hearing, the original tape must be delivered to the clerk immediately after the hearing. If you wish to file an appeal based on the record, it is your responsibility to have the tape transcribed by an official court reporter. You are responsible for payment of transcription costs. (See Rule 6.460 (b), Florida Rules of Traffic Court.) DO I HAVE TO PERSONALLY APPEAR IN COURT ON AN INFRACTION VIOLATION? No. Any person charged with an infraction may, instead of appearing in court, file an affidavit of defense. Click here to obtain an Affidavit of Defense & Instructions, or contact the Clerk of the Court at the appropriate Clerk's Office locations. HOW DO I ELECT TO ATTEND THE DEFENSIVE DRIVING COURSE? If you are cited for an infraction that does not require a mandatory court appearance, you may be able to prevent points from being assessed against your license by electing to attend a defensive driving course. You must notify the Clerk's Office prior to attending a school and file a School Election Affidavit. You will be required to make payment for the reduced fine amount and costs to the Clerk at the time you file the affidavit. Some fine amounts are located on this 'Traffic Fines' page. Upon filing the affidavit, you register here with a defensive driving school licensed in the State of Florida and attend the class within 60 days. Proof of completion is required and must be submitted by you to the Clerk's Office. Extensions of time are not allowed to complete a defensive driving class. The option to elect to take a defensive driving course is allowed 5 times in your lifetime but not more than once during a 12 month period. Please note: If you attend school without filing the appropriate affidavit, points will be assessed against your license and you will be required to pay the full fine amount. WHERE CAN I FIND INFORMATION ON DEFENSIVE DRIVING COURSES? For information on defensive driving schools and their location, please register here or refer to the yellow pages of your local phone directory under "Driver Instruction." CAN I GET AN EXTENSION TO COMPLETE THE DEFENSIVE DRIVING COURSE? No. You must complete the course within 60 days from the date you made the election to attend. WHAT HAPPENS IF I FAIL TO ATTEND THE DEFENSIVE DRIVING COURSE? If you fail to complete the course and return the completion certificate to the Clerk's Office within 60 days, you will be subject to the following penalties: * Your drivers license will be suspended by the State of Florida.* You forfeit one of your five (5) lifetime elections. * You forfeit all court costs paid. * You must pay the balance of the fine, a late fee of $16.00, a $10.00 service charge, and possibly a $35.00 drivers license reinstatement fee. * Points will be assessed on your driving record. DO I NEED TO DO ANYTHING AFTER I ATTEND THE DEFENSIVE DRIVING COURSE? Yes. You must bring or send proof of completing the course to one of the Clerk's Office locations within 60 days of the date you elected to attend. IMPROPER OR FAULTY EQUIPMENT (F.S. 316.610 OR F.S. 316.2935(1)) If you are cited for operating a motor vehicle with improper or faulty equipment, you have the option of correcting the defect within 30 days and paying a reduced fine. Your local law enforcement agency will inspect your vehicle to verify that the defect has been corrected and will complete the affidavit on the reverse side of your citation. There may be a $4.00 inspection fee. The signed copy of the citation must be delivered to the Clerk's Office along with payment of the reduced fine in the amount of $5.00. After 30 days, this option is no longer available. Payment of your fine may be made by mail or delivered in person at one of our Clerk's Office locations . If you choose to mail your payment you MUST include your ticket number. All CHECKS AND MONEY ORDERS MUST BE PAYABLE TO "CLERK OF COURT" AND MADE OUT IN U.S. FUNDS DRAWN ON A U.S. EXCHANGE BANK. Please do not send cash by mail.
To be eligible for a dismissal on one of the charges listed above, you must provide documentation proving that your license was valid, your insurance policy was valid, or your car registration was current, at the time you received your citation. Documentation must be provided within 30 days to the Clerk's Office. You will be required to pay a $5.00 dismissal fee. Payment of your fine may be made by mail or delivered in person at one of our Clerk's Office locations. If you choose to mail your payment you MUST include your ticket number. All CHECKS AND MONEY ORDERS MUST BE PAYABLE TO "CLERK OF COURT" AND MADE OUT IN U.S. FUNDS DRAWN ON A U.S. EXCHANGE BANK. Please do not send cash by mail. Printouts of a three-year driving record are available from the Clerk's office. The records are generated from the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles data base. The cost for a driving history printout is $4.10 for the first page of the record, plus $1.00 for each additional page. The records may be purchased at one of our Clerk's Office locations or by written request. The Clerk's office requires payment in advance. Please provide the full name, date of birth and drivers license number of the person whose record you are requesting. CAN THE CLERK'S OFFICE ADVISE ME ABOUT THE NUMBER OF POINTS AGAINST MY LICENSE? No. You must contact the appropriate Drivers License Bureau to find out how many points are assessed against your license. HOW DO I GET MY DRIVERS LICENSE REINSTATED? If you have no other outstanding suspensions and a current license, we can reinstate your drivers license for an additional $35.00 fee. This applies to a Florida Drivers License only and must be paid with a separate check or money order. All other suspensions must be handled through the appropriate Drivers License Bureau. To find out if we can reinstate your license, you may contact the Clerk of Court at one of the Clerk's Office locations. WHAT DO I DO IF MY CITATION HAS BEEN TURNED OVER TO COLLECTIONS? You must contact SC Service & Associates, Inc. at (904) 752-0068. You will be required to remit payment for the original fine, late fees, and a collection fee.
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