[bbronston]

That's quite a story...you have my sympathy. I would start at the top of the agency and hope that it filters down to the right person. I would write a professional letter, keep it absolutely civil and factual, include copies of documented evidence, dates, times, etc., use phrases like "our Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles", and ask for her to provide you with a resolution or a reason why she cannot provide one. I would also send it via FedEx, and possibly cc: the governor's office.

https://www.flhsmv.gov/about/directors-welcome/

[CindyRoos]

OMG, what a nightmare!! I really admire your patience as I would have blown a gasket!!
Unreal! That should never happen to anyone!! Ughhhhhhhhhhh

[macrodome2]

I thought of this later, but got any TV stations that would be interested in that kind of story? Some of them like to do "8 on your side" type of reporting.

[DreamerD]

Originally Posted by CindyRoos

OMG, what a nightmare!! I really admire your patience as I would have blown a gasket!!
Unreal! That should never happen to anyone!! Ughhhhhhhhhhh

I'm not sure if they would have heard the end of me. After it was all said and done, a fee was still charged? Absolutely absurd! I don't even know if that's legal to force somebody to pay for something when it wasn't their fault to begin with.

[Enigma777]

Originally Posted by nidex

Everything is fine again until November, and find out my plates are suspended, again. This time it's for a red light ticket in Sarasota that I didn't pay. I did not blow any red lights, and I received zero notifications. After several more hours of arguing, I finally get to go into the room where they have it all on video. They have the first clip with the front of the car, the second clip with the back of the car, and the third clip of the intersection. The first clip is clearly NOT my car. It has headlights that come around the sides of the fenders and looks to be a crossover or small SUV in dark blue, with an old man leaning over the steering wheel. I have a black sedan and am in my late 20's. The back picture is my car, sitting at the stop light, with my front tires over the white line, albeit just barely. You can see the pattern on my wheels, the 3 brake lights, and it is very clear that I am stopped. The employee argued with me for about 30 minutes, insisting that the car in the first clip and the car in the second clip (mine) were the same. Eventually, his supervisor comes out and agrees with me, and they say they will drop the ticket.

Funny you should mention this. A few years ago when I lived on the west coast of FL, I started receiving those advertising cards for traffic school in the mail (this should be a red flag). Not having gotten a ticket for anything, I checked online and saw that I had received a 'citation' for running a camera light in Sarasota.

I never received the first notice (a violation) in the mail so I had not paid it. I was shocked. I called a traffic attorney I found online. He told me he only worked on the east coast of Florida. He said the people in the Sarasota are so into obeying authority they just pay the tickets without trying to fight them (these tickets are basically unconstitutional, as you are presumed guilty and then have to prove you are innocent--like you did).

So I 'reached out' to the officer in charge who I was referred to by an associate. I asked him how I could have received a citation when I had never received either notice of a violation or a notice of the citation!

I did some research on the notices and ended up at a giant corporation in Arizona--ATS--that owns the cameras, gets a cut of the fine, and mails out the violations. I called them--they had a large mail facility in Houston, which I'm sure lost or did not mail the violation. Unfortunately, they are not mailed using any tracking--just sent in the mail. Too bad if you don't get it--you'll never know.

So the officer told me he would check on the citation because they are sent by certified mail. He was able to obtain the receipt which he emailed to me. We could both plainly see that it was not my signature on the receipt, so who knows who received the citation. He said he would knock it back down to the cheaper violation and I could pay that (I did not have time to go fight the ticket in court). Unfortunately, he could not remove my name and the citation from the county website. So even though I didn't get points on my license, any insurance company could go online and assume I got a citation.

Then I started researching the camera light scam factory. These are really only used to produce revenue, and Sarasota happens to be one of the cities that takes full advantage of it. Many of the cities on the east side of the state have stopped using them as they were declared illegal by an appeals court, but I think some places still have them. In any event--they suck and people should not pay them as they cannot prove you were the person driving the car. Those I know who have gone to court have had them dropped.

Florida Supreme Court ruling strikes blow to red light cameras - Sun Sentinel

Tickets issued due to red-light cameras are illegal, says Florida court - CNET

[DreamerD]

Originally Posted by Enigma777

Funny you should mention this. A few years ago when I lived on the west coast of FL, I started receiving those advertising cards for traffic school in the mail (this should be a red flag). Not having gotten a ticket for anything, I checked online and saw that I had received a 'citation' for running a camera light in Sarasota.

I never received the first notice (a violation) in the mail so I had not paid it. I was shocked. I called a traffic attorney I found online. He told me he only worked on the east coast of Florida. He said the people in the Sarasota are so into obeying authority they just pay the tickets without trying to fight them (these tickets are basically unconstitutional, as you are presumed guilty and then have to prove you are innocent--like you did).

So I 'reached out' to the officer in charge who I was referred to by an associate. I asked him how I could have received a citation when I had never received either notice of a violation or a notice of the citation!

I did some research on the notices and ended up at a giant corporation in Arizona--ATS--that owns the cameras, gets a cut of the fine, and mails out the violations. I called them--they had a large mail facility in Houston, which I'm sure lost or did not mail the violation. Unfortunately, they are not mailed using any tracking--just sent in the mail. Too bad if you don't get it--you'll never know.

So the officer told me he would check on the citation because they are sent by certified mail. He was able to obtain the receipt which he emailed to me. We could both plainly see that it was not my signature on the receipt, so who knows who received the citation. He said he would knock it back down to the cheaper violation and I could pay that (I did not have time to go fight the ticket in court). Unfortunately, he could not remove my name and the citation from the county website. So even though I didn't get points on my license, any insurance company could go online and assume I got a citation.

Then I started researching the camera light scam factory. These are really only used to produce revenue, and Sarasota happens to be one of the cities that takes full advantage of it. Many of the cities on the east side of the state have stopped using them as they were declared illegal by an appeals court, but I think some places still have them. In any event--they suck and people should not pay them as they cannot prove you were the person driving the car. Those I know who have gone to court have had them dropped.

Florida Supreme Court ruling strikes blow to red light cameras - Sun Sentinel

Tickets issued due to red-light cameras are illegal, says Florida court - CNET

Another form of legalized robbery!