Handling a Florida Traffic Ticket

By Javier Marín, Editor·Last reviewed September 2026·How we check this

Florida traffic tickets are processed by the Clerk of Court in the county where the citation was issued. Florida's three real choices — pay, elect Basic Driver Improvement (BDI) school, or contest — must be made within 30 days of the citation. Missing the deadline triggers an automatic suspension under Florida law, separate from any points.

Read the citation first

The Florida citation lists the issuing court (almost always the County Court Clerk in the county of the offense), the deadline, and three options: pay, elect BDI school, or request a court hearing. Florida's deadline is 30 days from the date of issue — by that date you must enter one of the three options or face a default conviction plus a license suspension under FS §318.15. Once that suspension is on the record, clearing it requires going to the original court and then paying a $60 reinstatement fee through FLHSMV.

Option 1: Pay the fine

Paying is treated as an admission. The conviction is added to your Florida driving record with the appropriate points and reported to your insurer. Most county Clerk of Court offices accept payment online, by mail, by phone, or in person. Standard speeding tickets in Florida range from $158 to $258 once court costs are added, with school zone and construction zone violations doubled.

Option 2: BDI school dismissal

Florida's Basic Driver Improvement (BDI) school election is the closest thing Florida has to a deferred or dismissal option. Here's how it works:

Within 30 days of the citation, go to the County Clerk of Court (online or in person) and pay the citation amount with a "BDI Election" check-off.
Court costs are usually reduced by about 18% with the BDI election.
You then have 90 days to complete a state-approved 4-hour BDI course (online or in classroom).
Submit the completion certificate to the Clerk of Court.
The Clerk withholds adjudication; no points are added to the FLHSMV record; the violation does not appear on the public-facing driving record.

BDI eligibility: most non-criminal moving violations. Not eligible: CDL holders, DUI, leaving the scene, excessive speed (50+ mph over), or any criminal traffic offense. You can use the BDI election once per 12 months and up to 5 times in a lifetime.

Option 3: Contest the ticket

Drivers can plead not guilty and request a hearing. Florida county court offers two paths:

Hearing without an attorney — informal, judge-only, scheduled within 60-90 days. The driver can present evidence and cross-examine the citing officer.
Trial with an attorney — formal, including jury option for some criminal traffic offenses. Most non-criminal Florida traffic infractions are bench-only.

Hiring an attorney for a basic moving violation is uncommon in Florida — most attorneys won't take a 3-point ticket case for less than $200, and that's often more than the BDI route costs. Drivers facing CDL implications, DUI, or criminal traffic offenses should hire counsel.

Construction zone and school zone

A speeding ticket issued in an active construction zone with workers present doubles the fine. Same for a ticketed speed in a school zone while children are present. Florida's school-zone cell phone use law makes hand-held cell phone use a primary offense in school zones with a doubled fine and 3 points.

Hands-free and texting

Florida's texting-while-driving law is a primary offense statewide. Hand-held cell phone use in school zones and active construction zones is also a primary offense. Outside those zones, hand-held use is generally not enforceable as a stand-alone violation but can be cited as careless driving in a crash.

Failure to pay or appear

If a Florida ticket is not handled within 30 days, the Clerk of Court issues a notice of default conviction. After another 30 days, FLHSMV suspends the driver license under FS §318.15. Reinstatement requires:

Going to the issuing Clerk and paying or resolving the original ticket.
Paying a county Failure to Comply (D-6) fee, typically $60-$100.
Paying the FLHSMV $60 reinstatement fee — see Florida suspended license.

Out-of-state drivers

A Florida ticket issued to an out-of-state driver is reported to the home state through the Driver License Compact (except for the five non-Compact states). The home state may or may not assess points based on its own rules. Failure to handle the Florida ticket within 30 days suspends the driver's privilege to drive in Florida and can be reported to the home state.