Frequently Asked Questions About Traffic Violation Tickets In Florida

How Long Does Someone Have To File For A Hearing If They’ve Received A Traffic Violation Ticket In Florida

If it’s a basic traffic violation, with very few exceptions, they usually have 30 days.  They may still be able to file for a hearing after that time but then they may need to pay an additional fine.

Technically if it’s over 180 days, they have to get an administrative order from a judge to actually reopen the case. They also want to have an attorney hired well within the 30 days to give them enough time to file and to start fighting for them.

What Happens If Somebody Decides To Do Nothing Or Even Forgets About The Ticket?

Unfortunately that happens quite often. Doing nothing or just paying the ticket is, by far, the worst thing someone can do. If they just pay the ticket without having an attorney or without doing a driving course to be eligible, they automatically get points on their license.

The fact why that is so serious is points on a license means the auto insurance rates go up, your auto insurance company will do that.  If you just ignore the ticket and don’t pay the fine, your license can actually be suspended.  This is called a D6 license suspension.

Therefore, it is very, very vital that you hire an attorney to help fight these traffic tickets.

How Does The Point System Work In Florida When It Comes To Someone’s Driving Record?

The point system for traffic tickets is much like the scoring system for a felony criminal offense. Florida works on a point system where different charges are worth a different variety of points. For instance, under 15 miles per hour speeding carries 2 points; for over 15, you can get 3 or more points. If you go past a school bus when it’s stopped with the stop sign in use, you can get 4 to 6 points.

Basically, if you receive a certain amount of points within a time period, your license is suspended. If someone gets 12 points in a year, their license is suspended for 30 days. If they get 18 points in 18 months, it’s suspended for 3 months, and finally if they get 24 points in 36 months or 3 years, their license is suspended for a full year.

This is for adults; for minors, or people under 18 years, there are a lot more severe penalties. For instance, if they get 6 points in a year, their license is suspended. That is serious because minors tend to not have the experience in driving, they may speed a little bit more and although it looks like basically 2 speeding tickets in a year, if they don’t have an attorney helping them out, their license would be suspended.

If you are facing a Traffic Violation In Florida, call the law office of Blake & Dorsten P.A. for a free initial consultation at (727) 286-6141 and get the information and legal answers you’re seeking.