CALL FOR A FREE CASE EVALUATION

(877) 315-5107

Traffic Ticket FAQs

A: You’ll plead either guilty, no contest (or nolo contendre), or not guilty¯and you must do so within the allotted amount of time. Some counties allow only 30 days to respond. Your traffic ticket should notify you of how many days you have to respond, but if you lost your ticket or it doesn’t give the information contact the court in the county you received the ticket.

Pleading not guilty, no contest, or nolo contendre means you’ll pay the ticket fine and any other applicable court costs. You might incur points on your driving record and you may experience an increase in auto insurance rates, but often drivers bypass these penalties by enrolling in an approved Basic Driver Improvement Course.

If you plead guilty, you’ll schedule a hearing date, perhaps solicit the help of a traffic ticket attorney, and make your case in court. If you win, you’re good to go (except for the attorney fees), but if you lose you’ll forfeit any possibility of pleading to a lesser charge or enrolling in a course for point reduction, and you’ll have to pay all the fines and fees.
A: For the most part, this depends on what you mean by “dismissed.”

Some (but not all) drivers can get their traffic tickets dismissed if they:

  • Show the court or even the officer that they’re abiding by the law. (For instance, if an officer pulls you over for an expired registration, but you swear your proof is at home on the kitchen table, he may give you a certain number of days to present it and have the ticket dropped.)
  • Contest the ticket in court, with or without a traffic ticket lawyer, and win your case.
  • Consider the nature of your violation and perhaps seek the advice of a lawyer before determining how to go about getting your ticket dismissed.
A: You must notify your employer within 30 days of a conviction for a traffic violation; if you were ticketed out of state, you have 30 days to notify the DMV, too.

Your following steps depend mostly on the nature of the violation and your history of traffic offenses as a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) driver. Your penalties can range from paying a fine to dealing with a license suspension or revocation. If the offense is serious enough, some CMV drivers even face permanent CDL cancellation.
A: A Florida Red Light ticket can cost you approximately $204.00 and three points assessed against their driver license.
A: Overall, you’ll pay (or fight) your ticket like anyone else; however, if you receive enough tickets (or one big ticket) that you accumulate 6 points on your driving record within 12 months, you’ll receive a “Business Purposes ONLY” restriction on your license. This restriction lasts for 1 year, or until you turn 18 years old, but is extended for 90 days for each point you accumulate after.
A: Unfortunately, if you’re convicted of a traffic violation while you have your learner’s permit, you’re banned from applying for your intermediate license until 1 year after the conviction date or until you turn 18 years old, whichever occurs first.
A: Generally, motorcyclists can take the same kind of Basic Driver Improvement Course drivers of regular passenger vehicles take; Florida provides a list of courses online.

By providing your county’s Clerk of Court with the ticket number, he or she can help you determine whether you’re eligible for such a course.
A: Yes, but if you want this option, you must let the clerk in your county know within 30 days of receiving the ticket, but prior to actually starting the class.
A: Keeping tabs on your driving record lets you know things like:

  • The driving course you took removed, or failed to remove, the points you incurred during your last traffic violation.
  • Whether you received points even though you were found “not guilty.”
  • If the number of points you have is dangerously close to the point of license suspension or revocation.
A: You should find the cost printed somewhere on your FL traffic ticket. If you can’t find your ticket, contact your County Clerk of Court for more details.
A: Points vary depending on the nature of the violation.

For example, if you’re convicted of speeding, but weren’t going more than 15 MPH above the posted speed limit, you’ll get 3 points; on the other hand, if you’re convicted of passing a stopped school bus, you’ll get 4 points.
A: Generally, yes. This means if you’re convicted of speeding 5 miles over the posted limit in one part of Florida, your fine would be the same as if you were convicted of speeding in another part of the state.

The differences lie in the court costs and any other fees you have to pay, and those vary by county. You can contact your County Clerk of Court for an exact dollar amount.
A: Via Florida’s Online Driver’s License Check, you might be able to find your FL traffic ticket online.

If you can’t (or if nothing shows up and you’re fairly sure you were pulled over and ticketed), your county’s Clerk of Court can help you.
A: Two of the most common times a driver hires a traffic ticket attorney is when he is:

  • Fighting a traffic ticket.
  • Dealing with criminal charges.

However, you might consider a traffic ticket attorney if you simply want to plead to reduced charges or aren’t able to attend a scheduled court appearance.
A: Florida considers both the number of points and the time period during which you accumulated them. If you accumulate:

  • 12 points in 12 months, your license is suspended for 30 days.
  • 18 points within 18 months, your license is suspended for 3 months.
  • 24 points within 36 months, your license is suspended for 1 year.
A: This is not legal advice about your specific situation. We need to discuss your situation and your objectives and your rights in detail. Since the initial office consultation is without charge, you can contact our office by calling (877) 315-5107 to schedule an appointment or fill out the contact form on our website (the second “contact” is a link to the “contact us” page), and someone from our office will call you regarding your specific situation.

Call me for a free case evaluation

(877) 315-5107