[dtj123]

Over the holidays I was driving from Miami back to home in Gainesville, when I was ticketed for speeding though the sunpass lane on the Turnpike near Orlando. The officer who pulled me over said that I was going 55mph, which I believe - I guess I've gotten careless going through the toll plaza because I've seen so many others (and myself) not slow down to the required speed of 25mph many times. I know the speed limit is 25 though, and I definitely deserve the ticket, so I viewed it as an expensive (almost $600) wake-up call and determined to be more careful in the future.

To my surprise, after I paid the ticket I received a court summons, and after calling the clerk of the court found out that speeding 30+ mph over the speed limit carries a mandatory court appearance. I'm not clear on
the purpose of the court appearance though, and I was wondering if anyone has any knowlege about this and could fill me in on what might happen. When I called the clerk of court I asked if there was any way to get out it, or to have it moved to my home county since I'll have to take a day off of work and drive almost 2 hours each way to appear. I was told that I could write to the judge and request to submit a plea by mail. After that I got to thinking and trying to find any information I could online, and I'm wondering if this may be more serious than I initially thought. This is my first speeding ticket ever (I'll be 28 in 2 weeks, so I've been driving for almost 12 years), and only my second ticket total - the first was 6 years ago for making an illegal left turn. I'm wondering if it would be a good idea to write to the judge, or if things will go better for me if I just show up. Some places I read online implied that it might be a good idea to get a lawyer, which is something I'd rather not do unless it's going to help a lot.

I'd appreciate any insight or thoughts that anyone can give me on this as I decide how to handle it. Thanks!

[On-da-Beach]

I'd seek advice from an attorney instead of an internet forum. Most will give a pro-bono consultation.

[Lilybeans]

what county did you get the ticket in?

[dtj123]

On-da-Beach said:

I'd seek advice from an attorney instead of an internet forum. Most will give a pro-bono consultation.

That's good advice, and the more I think about it, the more I think I should at least talk to a lawyer. I'd not wanted to go that route, but I don't want to take any chances with this.

I'll certainly be careful with any advice that I receive online, but I'm still interested to know if anyone has been through or knows about this process. Everyone I've asked has been surprised and hasn't known anything about the mandatory court appearance for 30+ over the speed limit. From what I read, this was put in place in October of 2006. I haven't been able to determine the exact purpose of the court appearance though.

I'm probably entirely wrong in thinking this way, but I'm having difficulty putting my offense on the same level as, say, going 100 in a 70mph zone and zooming by everyone else, or going 55 in a residential area with a 25mph speed limit where children could be playing. Perhaps it's because I've seen so many people go quickly through the sunpass lanes that I didn't really think twice about it. I realize that this is no excuse though, and that the law views them the same way.

Lilybeans said:

what county did you get the ticket in?

I got the ticked in Lake county, and I'm supposed to appear in court in Tavares.

[RMD3819]

Ask here: Traffic Enforcement Questions - Police Forums & Law Enforcement Forums @ Officer.com

[JM1822]

The mandatory court appearance became a requirement a couple of years ago for any speed that is 30 over the limit. The court appearance is not really that big of a deal (you won't leave in shackles).You might be able to do an affidavit of defense and not have to physically appear in court. The judge will already have your driving record in front of him when he hears your case. Call Lake County and see if they will allow you to do an affidavit of defense. In the end the judge will decide what the fine will be so it might be higher or it might be lower than what you were told on the side of the road.