Clay County is located in the southern part of the Jacksonville metropolitan area. Clay County has a population of nearly 200,000 residents. The largest city in Clay County is Lakeside, and the county seat is Green Cove Springs. Other cities include Keystone Heights, Orange Park, and Penney Farms. The major roadways that cross the county are US 17, US 301, State Road 15, State Road 16, State Road 21, State Road 23, State Road 100, and State Road 200. Local law enforcement agencies patrol these roads: Green Cove Springs Police Department, Keystone Heights Police Department, Orange Park Police Departments, Penney Farms Police Department, Clay County Sheriff’s Office, and Florida Highway Patrol.
The state, the county and the cities within the county patrol the major roadways in pursuit of those who are violating the traffic laws. These individuals can be issued both criminal and civil citations. These two types of citations come with different penalties and different methods of facing penalties. The penalties for criminal violations include probation, fine/fees, points, community service, drug and/or alcohol treatment programs, even jail time. These citations also require a court appearance. At the hearings, you, your Clay County Traffic attorney should you hire one, any witnesses, the arresting or citation issuing police officer, and the judge or magistrate presiding over the case may be present. You can then present your case with the help of your Orange Park or Keystone Heights Traffic Lawyer in an effort to protect your rights. You can also at that time present any defenses, which are applicable to your case. Criminal citations come with higher penalties. These penalties include the possibility of a loss of freedom and/or the loss of the driving privilege.
Civil citations do not require a hearing, but rather you can request a hearing as a way to remedy the citation. The hearing calls for the same group of people in attendance. At this hearing, you also can present your case, your set of facts, and any defenses that apply to your case. You can be educated about the defenses and your rights by a Clay County Speeding Ticket lawyer. Since civil violations are considered less harmful to the general public, they come with lower penalties. Civil infractions include: unlawful speed, littering, careless driving, failure to yield at a traffic signal, among other violations. The penalties include fines and fees and points assessed on your record. There are two more options if you are faced with a civil citation. You can pay the Clerk of the Court the fine or fee associated with your violation and accept the points on your license. The Clay County Clerk of Court address is: Clay County Clerk of Court, 825 Orange Avenue, PO Box 698, Green Cove Springs, Florida 32043. If you would like to avoid points being placed on your license, you can take the Driver Improvement Course and pay your fine and fee. The course is available online, in person, and on DVD or video. The course is a four (4) hour course, so it is easily taken and the points will not be assessed on your license.
It is important to keep points off of your license in an effort to keep your insurance premiums down and to keep your license from being suspended. Should you accrue twelve (12) points in a twelve (12) month period, your license may be suspended for one (1) month. If you accrue eighteen (18) points in a year and a half, your license may be suspended for three (3) months. Finally, by getting twenty-four (24) points in thirty-six (36) months your license is subject to a one (1) year suspension. Also, your insurance premiums may go up as a result of points being assessed on your license. An accrual of points on your license can render you as a “high risk” driver to insurance companies. They have the sole discretion to define you as a “high risk” driver, for which your insurance premiums can increase up to four (4) times more than the average safe driver premiums.
Non-moving violations……………..0 points
Littering, child restraint violations, speeding 15 miles per hour or less over the speed limit……..3 points
Speeding 16 miles per hour or more over the speed limit, passing a stopped school bus, moving violations involving speeding……….4 points
Leaving the scene of an accident (<$50) or speeding resulting in a collision………6 points
These points will remain on your license for 3-5 years until they can be expunged off of your license. You must keep a clean record for that time period and the points may come off of your license and your insurance premiums may go down.
If you find yourself faced with a citation from Clay County, you may be subject to the penalties listed above, including fines/fees, points, license suspension or worse depending on the type of violation. You should contact your Clay County Traffic Attorney today so they can educate you about the process and your rights. They can offer you defenses that may be applicable in your case. An Orange County, Keystone Heights, Green Cove Springs, or Penney Farms Speeding Ticket Lawyer can get on your case, get deadlines met, and appear before the judge to present your case. Meet with them today in order to have your case put into gear today!
