[twobums]

Originally Posted by Gatornation

It's a shortcut to get to Jacksonville from west Florida. I've been through a ton of times and never had an issue. Just follow the speeds.

I repped you on that, Gator ~ same here, been through lots of times, always followed the speed limit & never ever had an issue.

[ddrlgtn]

Waldo sucks!!!!! I recieved a ticket for 62 in a 45, I was speeding but it was also a trap .They got me right after the speed limit dropped from 55 to 45. The ticket writer(officer) didnt ask for my registration, proof of insurance or if I was carrying any weapons. He was fat(325) and rude. What else would one expect from a hillbilly hicktown.Plus he was sitting in a dunkin donuts parking lot. How about that for irony.

[Jim Mac]

That sucks, but that's how speeding laws work. When you hit the "45 speed limit" sign, you must be going 45. If not, you're guilty.

[Spring Hillian]

So what part of "speed limit" is it that you don't understand?

Originally Posted by ddrlgtn

Waldo sucks!!!!! I recieved a ticket for 62 in a 45, I was speeding but it was also a trap .They got me right after the speed limit dropped from 55 to 45. The ticket writer(officer) didnt ask for my registration, proof of insurance or if I was carrying any weapons. He was fat(325) and rude. What else would one expect from a hillbilly hicktown.Plus he was sitting in a dunkin donuts parking lot. How about that for irony.

[RrrrLlllBbbb]

Traveling on Highway 301 to Gainesville, I've never seen a police car in Lawtey. One time while heading north back to Jacksonville, I was doing a bit over the speed limit and a policeman sitting in the school zone (in Waldo) evidently clocked me and stepped on his brakes to indicate I should slow down. If you follow the signs with-respect-to speed limits, a driver never has to worry. Let the speeders take the chance(s).

[gabulldog]

I have to admit I received a ticket in the famous town of Waldo, FL today. I first have to say I have proudly served twenty years in the US Military 18 years of that in law enforcement. I was given a citation for speeding and I question the validity of the citation.
1. How does the officer prove I was traveling at the speed I was cited for? Is this electronically recorded on the radar or does the court use the officer's integrity via a written statement. Are we automatically guilty until proven innocent? How do I know the gun has been calibrated; I am sure it will be documented somewhere. Why is the price of the ticket different (i.e. $200 in Orlando and $270 in Waldo)? The officer did not even ask to see my insurance or registration, I found that to be strange. Also another note I found interesting, I have a FL driving license with GA mailing address, in order to have that you have to be military and he never ask to see my ID. I think what topped everything off is his uniform looked like he had been wrestling an alligator the day before and slept on the couch in his uniform.....very unprofessional. I will never transit 301 again!

[crazynip]

As much as I have driven 301 between Ocala and Baldwin, I have never gotten a speeding ticket, knock on wood.

Hampden used to be really bad too, but the state made them stop patrolling 301 because technically it was outside city limits.

Those cops who do nothing but speeding patrol really are scumbags if you ask me.

[JM1822]

Originally Posted by gabulldog

I have to admit I received a ticket in the famous town of Waldo, FL today. I first have to say I have proudly served twenty years in the US Military 18 years of that in law enforcement. I was given a citation for speeding and I question the validity of the citation.
1. How does the officer prove I was traveling at the speed I was cited for? Is this electronically recorded on the radar or does the court use the officer's integrity via a written statement. Are we automatically guilty until proven innocent? How do I know the gun has been calibrated; I am sure it will be documented somewhere. Why is the price of the ticket different (i.e. $200 in Orlando and $270 in Waldo)? The officer did not even ask to see my insurance or registration, I found that to be strange. Also another note I found interesting, I have a FL driving license with GA mailing address, in order to have that you have to be military and he never ask to see my ID. I think what topped everything off is his uniform looked like he had been wrestling an alligator the day before and slept on the couch in his uniform.....very unprofessional. I will never transit 301 again!

With any luck, my response won't sound arguementative because it isn't meant to be. If it does, I apologize in advance.

In your second sentence, you question the validity of the citation, but no where in your post did you give any reason's for it. Not asking for certain documents, including a military ID, is not grounds to have the citation thrown out, nor is the condition of his uniform.

No one in the United States is guilty until proven innocent. When you get a ticket in Florida, you usually have three options.

The first is to pay the fine, accept the points, and admit guilt.

The second is to contest the ticket in front of a judge. If you go that route, the officer will testify first, not because the judge likes him better, but because the officer has to prove his case (and have supporting documentation) before you have to say a single word. However, I caution you on using the "defense" that you have mentioned here. 95% of the defendants try to stand in front of a judge and use everything except a valid defense. The judge doesn't care if you are in the military. He doesn't care if you go to church every other day, volunteer at a homeless shelter, adopt stray dogs, etc. etc. He also doesn't care if the cop was rude, fat, unkempt, smelly, or one of a thousand other things people say. All the judge wants to hear is a defense, and not an excuse.

The final option, for most people, is a driving school. These can be taken online or in a classroom. Adjudication is withheld but the fine is still paid by the driver.

On a final note, you asked why the fine amounts were different in Waldo and Orlando. Fines are set by the individual county. There is a state mandated minimum fine, but the counties can add additional fees. You didn't say how fast you were going, but you said you got a $269.00 speeding ticket in Alachua County (Waldo) which means you were charged with going at LEAST 20 miles an hour over the speed limit. In Orange County (Orlando) the fine is $279.00 for twenty over.

[Occifer]

Originally Posted by gabulldog

I have to admit I received a ticket in the famous town of Waldo, FL today. I first have to say I have proudly served twenty years in the US Military 18 years of that in law enforcement. I was given a citation for speeding and I question the validity of the citation.
1. How does the officer prove I was traveling at the speed I was cited for? Is this electronically recorded on the radar or does the court use the officer's integrity via a written statement.

How can someone claim to have spent 18 years in law enforcement and not know how a speeding citation is proven? Or find it strange that you weren't asked for your insurance or registration? Or not know why tickets cost more in different places? I'm no fan of the way things are done in Waldo, but if you really had the law enforcement experience that you claim to have then you would know the answer to those questions.

[crazynip]

Originally Posted by Occifer

How can someone claim to have spent 18 years in law enforcement and not know how a speeding citation is proven? Or find it strange that you weren't asked for your insurance or registration? Or not know why tickets cost more in different places? I'm no fan of the way things are done in Waldo, but if you really had the law enforcement experience that you claim to have then you would know the answer to those questions.

Maybe he wasnt a ticket writer squad car jockey. Maybe he did something more than just write tickets.