VICTOR D. CRIST

EXCELLENCE IN SERVICE!

CLERK OF COURT & COMPTROLLER

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FLORIDA

Traffic School

Traffic School Options

If you are eligible for and select the Basic Driver Improvement School (Driving or Traffic School) option, adjudication (judgment) is withheld on your traffic ticket, the cost of the traffic ticket decreases, and the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles will not assess points against your driving record. A course completion certificate with the ticket number (not the case number) on it must be electronically filed* by the traffic school with the Hillsborough County Clerk's Office within 60 calendar days from the date the ticket was issued. Florida allows drivers to make the driving school election once within a 12-month period and no more than five times in your lifetime.

Failure to ensure that the school completion certificate was submitted will result in the suspension of your driving privileges, points being assessed to your record, and assessments of additional costs. You can check online 24/7 to see if the Clerk received your certificate. Certificates can be submitted online via HOVER or by mail to the Clerk of the Circuit Court - Traffic, PO Box 3360, Tampa, FL 33601-3360. If you determine that your school completion certificate has not been filed and you do not have a copy, contact your school provider in order to obtain a copy so you may file it with our office.

If you hold a Commercial Driver's License (CDL) or you were driving a Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) at the time of the offense, you are not eligible for the driving school option. If you were cited for a driver's license, vehicle registration, or proof of insurance violation for an accident, or for leaving a child under the age of 6 years unattended in a vehicle, these tickets will be ineligible for traffic school.

Should you fail to make the traffic school election at the same time that you pay for your ticket, and later change your mind about going to traffic school, your only option with your traffic ticket will be to pay the full penalty and be assessed points, or to request a court appearance in front of a judge.

You can only select state-approved traffic schools. You are responsible for the cost of your traffic school -- this is an expense separate from your traffic ticket penalty. School costs vary, so you may want to visit the website of more than one school to compare costs.

Traffic School Providers

Effective July 1, 2019, per Florida Statute 318.1451, driver improvement course providers must submit course completion information electronically through the Florida statewide E-Filing system to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles within five (5) days after the course is successfully completed. Course providers then have three (3) days to submit the information to the Clerk of the Circuit Court of the county where the citation is issued after receipt of the unique course complete certificate number from the Driver Improvement Issuance System. If you are a traffic school provider and have questions about this process, please contact the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal or (850) 577-4609 for more information.