How to Fight a Speeding Ticket in Florida
State, county and city police agencies don't just serve and protect, they also collect. Any driver going over the posted speed limit can be stopped by police and issued a speeding ticket. Florida speeding fines are costly. Points are also permanently attached to a Florida license, and insurance premiums are raised for drivers with violations. It can be worthwhile to fight a speeding ticket in Florida through the courts or by completing a driver's training course. In many cases, the exorbitant fine is reduced for motorists who challenge the speeding charge. At the very least, you can avoid collecting license points and paying higher insurance rates.
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Instructions
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Make a court appearance in the county the ticket was issued to dispute charges. Florida gives drivers 30 days to pay traffic citations or set a court date. You must contact the county clerk's office with the citation number from your ticket to set a court date. A list of links to county offices is provided by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (see Resources). You will be given a date, time and location to appear before a magistrate judge in a Florida Circuit Court.
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Arrive at the courthouse on time. Bring your driver's license, auto registration and proof of current insurance along with your speeding ticket. If you receive a hearing notice by mail, you must bring that also.
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Plead "no contest" to the charges when the magistrate calls your name. A magistrate judge can give favorable options to contenders of traffic violations. Florida magistrates typically offer to not add any points to your license and might reduce your fine by about half in exchange for a no-contest plea.
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Take a traffic school course. Florida offers recipients of speeding tickets an option to take a driving course to keep from accruing license points and paying increased insurance premiums. You will have to pay the fine to the county clerk within 30 days and inform the office that you are taking the Florida Basic Driver Improvement Course. Your fine may be reduced for electing to take the course. Depending on the county, you will have 60 or 90 days to turn in a certificate of course completion to the county clerk. The course is available on DVD or online. Traffic school courses approved in all Florida counties are offered online by the Florida Drivers Association (see Resources).
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Tips & Warnings
Do not attempt to beat a speeding ticket in traffic court. If you plead "not guilty" in the magistrate's chambers, you will be scheduled to appear in traffic court. Then you must prove that you were not exceeding the speed limit at all. Drivers who are found guilty of speeding pay the entire designated fine along with substantial court costs, and they are assessed points against their licenses and subject to possible auto insurance premium increases.
