Driving in Florida is considered a privilege that must be earned and you can lose your license for number of infractions but speeding remains the most common, and residents and visitors to Florida face strict penalties when they are caught exceeding the speed limit.
The Point System
The law is clear that if you travel 16Mph over the speed limit you are given 4 violation points and if caught traveling 15Mph or less over the stated limit you will receive 3 violation points. The point system works where if you are convicted of a speeding offense then the points will stay on your license indefinitely. The legislation is tough and imposes fines associated with these speeding tickets that range from $80 for 6-9MPh over the limit to $305 for exceeding the limit 30MPh or more. However these fines and points can be reduced if you do not commit regular offenses and choose to attend a state approved traffic school.
The points that are added to a Florida driver’s license can result in a suspension of the license, when 12 points are accumulated over a 12 month period it will result in a 30 day suspension, this means a driver can be suspended if they are caught speeding faster than 15MPh three times in one year. If a driver is convicted of 18 points within an 18 month period they will be suspended for three months and a driver can be suspended for one year for gaining 24 points over a 36 month period.
A State Comparison
The laws in Florida are much more severe than those of the neighboring state of Georgia where points only stay on their driver’s license for a period of 24 months and are then removed. No points will be given for speeding less than 15MPh over the speed limit and then only two points for exceeding the limit 18MPh and three for up to 23MPh. A Georgia license will be suspended if the driver accumulates 15 points in a 24 month period. In contrast to Florida the legislation in Georgia and many other states across the USA the laws do not punish drivers as strictly and less face license suspensions and fines.
Florida license holders are also penalized if they are caught speeding out of state, drivers will receive the same number of points for speeding and are not allowed to attend a state approved driving school to remove these points.
Drivers who face speeding tickets are able to fight these tickets through the Florida traffic court system but if a driver chooses to fight a traffic ticket they must be prepared. Fighting a citation through the court system should be done with advice from your attorney and if it is a driver’s first offense the state approved driving school can be a much cheaper and easier option.
Conclusions
Florida state driving legislation has become some of the strictest in the country and many are unaware of the penalties that can be imposed for speeding within the state. Driver can be imposed with big fines and crippling violation points that can affect their livelihood because of suspensions but fighting the points can be a way to stop license suspension and because of the harsh speeding laws more and more residents are choosing this path to stop receiving points and a fine.
Author Byline: This post is by Endre Rex-Kiss, an occasional guest blogger and social media enthusiast. He currently writes for Unger & Kowitt, a company of lawyers in Miami specializing in fighting your traffic tickets. Read his occasional rants on Twitter.