VICTOR D. CRIST

EXCELLENCE IN SERVICE!

CLERK OF COURT & COMPTROLLER

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FLORIDA

Traffic Tickets

Traffic tickets (also called Uniform Traffic Citations) can be issued for moving violations and non-moving violations of Florida state statutes, both criminal and civil. Each traffic ticket type has different options. Identify your ticket type, then determine how you'd like to resolve it.

Civil Traffic Ticket Options

PAY: By paying the civil penalty, you are admitting guilt. The Florida Department of Motor Vehicles will assess points on your driving record (or share the information with the out-of-state authority that issued your driver's license) for moving violations. You have up to 60 calendar days from the date the traffic ticket was issued to pay the entire penalty. There are no options for extending the payment period, as you were already automatically granted a 30 calendar day extension. If you do not pay for the ticket within the 60 calendar days, your penalties will increase and your driver's license may be suspended.

SCHOOL: If you are eligible for, and select, pay for and complete an approved driving school (also known as traffic school or the Basic Driver Improvement Course), adjudication (judgment) is withheld, the cost of the ticket is changed, and the Florida Department of Motor Vehicles will not assess points against your driving record. Your auto insurance cannot be increased and your policy cannot be cancelled if you successfully complete driving school. A course certificate of completion provided by the driving school* must be returned to this Clerk's Office within 60 calendar days from the date that the ticket was issued. There are no options to extend the time you have to complete driving school and pay for the ticket. You might not be eligible for driving school, depending on your driving history. Florida allows the driving school election once in a 12-month period and no more than five times in your lifetime. If you have a Commercial Driver's License (CDL) or you were operating a commercial vehicle at the time, you cannot opt for driving school. You cannot opt for driving school if your ticket was for a driver's license, insurance or vehicle registration violation. You must elect driving school within 30 calendar days from the date the ticket was issued; if you fail to elect driving school within that 30 day time frame, you will have to pay the full penalty and be assessed points. If you do not complete and your school* does not submit the school completion certificate to the Clerk by the deadline, your penalties will increase, you will be adjudicated as guilty, and you will be assessed points. If you do not pay the additional penalties from not completing driving school, your driver's license may be suspended until those payments have been received by the Clerk's Office.

*Effective July 1, 2019, driver improvement course providers must submit the B1 Basic Drive Improvement course completion information electronically 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. It is your responsibility to ensure the school electronically submitted your certificate. School completion certificates for the 8 hour Basic Driver Improvement, Advanced Driver Improvement, DUI and DUI Level II must be submitted to our office within 60 days. 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 to see if the Clerk received your certificate. If it is not shown as received, you must contact your school and ask them to submit it electronically.

COURT: If you decide to challenge the traffic ticket in court, you are making a plea of not guilty. Once you request a court hearing, you give up your right to pay the civil penalty amount and you give up your right to elect the driving school option. If you are found guilty, you might, in some cases, be fined up to $1,000 plus court costs. You will also be responsible for your attorney's fees. You must request a court hearing within 30 calendar days from the date the ticket was issued. If you wait until after the 30 calendar days to request a court hearing, you must pay late fees and suspension fees before a court hearing date will be scheduled. If you request a court hearing, you need to let the Clerk's Office know if your address changes -- your hearing notices and court information are mailed to your last known address. If you fail to appear in court on the day, time and location of the hearing, your penalties may increase and your driver's license may be suspended. There is no option to select the court hearing date of your choice; you will be scheduled for the next available date.

NO SELECTION: If you do not make a selection of pay, school or court within 30 calendar days from the date your ticket was issued, the only option available to you is to pay the traffic ticket penalty in full within 60 calendar days from the date your ticket was issued and be assessed points.

Now that you know what your options are with this type of traffic ticket, here are links on how to resolve the ticket.

Mandatory Traffic Ticket Tickets

Some traffic violations require a mandatory court appearance. If you were charged with a criminal traffic violation, you will need to appear in court. If you were charged with certain non-criminal traffic violations, you may also be required to appear in court. These charges include, but are not limited to:

• Any ticket that indicates serious bodily injury or fatality

• Any speeding ticket 30 MPH or more

• Leaving a child unattended in a vehicle with the motor running

• Passing a stopped school bus on the exit side

• Load dropping from the back of a vehicle or littering over 15 pounds

• No proof of insurance if you own the vehicle and cannot provide proof of insurance

If your ticket has "Infraction. Court appearance required as indicated below.", you will need to report to the court location indicated on the front of the traffic ticket at the bottom.

You will also receive an arraignment hearing date notice via U.S. mail. All notices will be sent to the address listed on the traffic ticket (citation). It is the driver's responsibility to keep the Clerk's office informed of his/her correct mailing address.

NOTE: Failure to appear at your appointed court session could result in the suspension of your driver's license and additional fees. It is important that you appear on time, on the correct date at the correct location.

Criminal Traffic Ticket Options

Criminal traffic violations include, but are not limited to:

• Driving under the influence

• Driving on a suspended driver's license with knowledge

• Leaving the scene of an accident

• Reckless driving

• No motor vehicle registration

Criminal traffic offenses require a mandatory court appearance. You will be notified via U.S. mail of your arraignment hearing date. There is no option to choose your court hearing date; you will be summoned to the next available court date. All hearing notices will be sent to the address listed on the ticket (citation). It is the driver's responsibility to keep the Clerk updated on the correct mailing address. If you were arrested by the law enforcement officer and have bonded out of jail, your bondsman will be notified of the court hearing date, as well.

NOTE: It is important that you report to the hearing on time, on the correct date and at the correct location. Failure to appear in court at your scheduled time and date may result in suspension of your driver's license and additional late fees. Failure to appear may also result in a warrant being issued for your arrest. If you were previously arrested for the violation, you may also forfeit any bond you or your family have posted.

Proof of Compliance Ticket Options

PAY: By paying the civil penalty, you are admitting guilt. The Florida Department of Motor Vehicles will assess points on your driving record (or share the information with the out-of-state authority that issued your driver's license) for compliance violations. You have up to 60 calendar days from the date the traffic ticket was issued to pay the entire penalty. There are no options to extend the payment period; you were already automatically granted a 30 day extension for payment. If you do not pay for the ticket within the 60 calendar days, your penalties will increase and your driver's license may be suspended.

SUBMIT PROOF: If your traffic ticket is for improper or faulty equipment and you repair the defect within 60 calendar days from the date the ticket was issued, you can have a law enforcement officer inspect your vehicle to see that the defect was corrected and the officer will then sign the affidavit of compliance portion of the ticket. You must submit this signed ticket to this Clerk's Office within 60 calendar days from the date the ticket was issued. Once the affidavit has been validated by the Clerk, you will be instructed to pay a fee and you will have your points waived. If your ticket if for not carrying your driver's license, not carrying proof of insurance, or failing to display your vehicle registration, and your driver's license was valid at the time of the ticket, your insurance policy was in effect at the time of the ticket, and/or your vehicle registration was current at the time of the ticket, you can submit documentation proof to this Clerk's Office within 60 calendar days from the date the ticket was issued. Once this proof has been validated by the Clerk, you will be instructed to pay a fee, and you will not be assessed any points. This option is not available if you have a Commercial Driver's License (CDL), or if you have elected this option more than once in the past 12 months, or if you have elected this option more than three times in your lifetime.

COURT: If you decide to challenge the traffic ticket in court, you are making a plea of not guilty. Once you request a court hearing, you give up your right to pay the civil penalty amount. If you are found guilty, however, you might be fined up to $1,000 plus court costs. You will also be responsible for your attorney's fees. You must request a court hearing within 30 calendar days from the date the ticket was issued. If you wait until after 30 calendar days, you must first pay any late fees and suspension costs before a court hearing date will be scheduled. If you request a court hearing, you must let this Clerk's Office know if your address changes -- your hearing notices and court information are mailed to your last known address. If you fail to appear in court on the day, time and location of the hearing, your penalties may increase and your driver's license may be suspended. There is no option to select the court hearing date of your choice; you will be scheduled for the next available court date.

NO SELECTION: If you do not make a selection (Court within 30 calendar days; or Pay or Submit Proof within 60 calendar days from the date the ticket was issued), the only option available to you is to pay the traffic ticket penalty in full within 60 calendar days from the date the ticket was issued, submit proof that you are now in compliance with the violation, and be assessed points.

Now that you know what your options are with this type of ticket, here are links to those options so that you can resolve this.

Red Light Camera Tickets

When a vehicle runs a red traffic control light, cameras record the vehicle and its license plate. These evidence images are viewed by law enforcement officers who decide whether a traffic ticket (citation) is warranted for a violation. If the officer decides that the vehicle ran the red traffic control light, Notices of Warning or Violation are mailed to the vehicle's registered owner. The Clerk of Court does not receive these violation notices until they have been converted into a traffic ticket (citation) if unpaid after 60 calendar days. Learn more about violation notices and your options before they become traffic tickets (citations) on your driving record. Check here if the notice was issued by the City of Tampa or here if the notice was issued by the Hillsborough County Sheriff.

Resolving your ticket