Martin County is located on Florida’s Treasure Coast. With beaches that span the East Coast of the County, the county is a desirable location for vacations and tourism. The county is also home to about 150,000 people. The county is easily accessible with several major roads that cross it. These roads include: Interstate 95, Florida’s Turnpike, US Highway 1, US 98, and US 441, Florida A1A, Florida State Road 76, Florida State Road 707, Florida State Road 710, Florida State Road 714, and Florida State Road 732. These roads are heavily trafficked and patrolled by local law enforcement agencies. The agencies include Jupiter Island Police Department, Ocean Breeze Park Police Department, Sewall’s Point Police Department, Stuart Police Department, Martin County Sheriff’s Office, and Florida Highway Patrol.
These law enforcement agencies can write two types of citations: criminal and civil. Criminal citations require a hearing. Examples of criminal violations include driving under the influence, driving with a suspended license, driving with a revoked license, reckless driving, among other violations. These violations come with higher penalties that include jail time, probation, drug and alcohol treatment programs, community service, fines and fees that far exceed the civil penalty counterparts, court costs, among other penalties. At the hearing, you, your Martin County Traffic lawyer should you choose to hire one, any witnesses, the arresting or citation issuing officer, and any judge or magistrate hearing the case will be present. The judge will determine your sentence according to state guidelines. You may be required to pay additional restitution, court costs and/or fees, and other fines or fees.
Civil infractions result in one of three options. Your first option is to pay the fine or fee and keep the points on your license. A driver improvement course can keep points off your license. As the second option, you can pay the fine or fee and elect to take a driver improvement course. You will need to notify the clerk of the court in writing within thirty (30) days of the citation being issued that you intend to take the driver improvement course. The Clerk of the Court is located at the courthouse at the following address: 100 East Ocean Boulevard, Stuart, Florida. The course is available online, in person in a classroom setting or on DVD/video. The course is approximately four (4) hours long. Once you have elected to take he course, you must complete it within sixty (60) days. You will receive a certificate of completion at the end of the course. You will need to file the certificate with the clerk of the court in order to insure you do not incur additional fines or fees and/or your license does not get suspended. There are limitations as to how many times you can take the course. You can only take it once in a twelve (12) month period. You can also only take if five (5) times in the course of a lifetime. If you have met these limits, you must either accept the points on your license or you may contest the citation. To contest the citation, you must notify the clerk of the court within thirty (30) days of your intent to do so. He or she will give you a hearing date that you must attend. Once you have the hearing date, you can prepare for your hearing. Your Martin County Traffic Lawyer can determine what the best way to present your case is, how to protect your rights, and the likely outcome of your case. At the hearing, you, your Martin County Traffic Attorney, any witnesses, the citation issuing officer, and the judge or magistrate presiding over your case may be present. If you are determined to have been guilty, you may have to pay court costs in addition to any fines or fees for the violation.
Points on your license can negatively impact you in two ways: 1) you can have higher insurance premiums as a result or 2) your license can be suspended. If your insurance company deems you as a “high risk” driver, which they can determine that you are in their sole discretion, you will be required to carry a SR- 22 policy. These policies have premiums up to four (4) times as much as safe driver premiums. In addition, if you get twelve (12) points in twelve (12) months, you can have your license suspended for one month. If you get eighteen (18) points in eighteen (18) months, your license can be suspended for three months. Finally, if you get twenty-four (24) points in thirty-six (36) months, your license can be suspended for an entire year. Any additional violations will result in an additional three months being added to any existing suspension.
If you find yourself with a violation in Martin County, it is best to contact your local Jupiter or Stuart Speeding Ticket Lawyer. He or she can assist you determining the best way to protect your rights, you can get informed about the process and the substance of the law, and you will have peace of mind. Contact your Martin County SpeedingTicket Lawyer today and make sure your rights are protected today!
