Volusia County is located in east, central Florida. Volusia County is known for being in the Deltona, Daytona Beach, Orlando area. With almost 500,000 residents, the county is a booming metropolis for the state of Florida. Daytona Beach, Port Orange, DeLand, New Smyrna Beach, and Ormond Beach are the major cities in the county. Interstate 95, Interstate 4, US 1 and many other highways and interstates cross the county. The county is full of major roadways that patrolled by local law enforcement agencies and state troopers.
The local agencies have issued just over 60,000 tickets a year recently. These tickets were for unlawful speed, DUI, failure to yield or stop at a traffic signal, among other reasons. There were almost 2,500 DUI arrests just last year.
The tickets when issued may leave you feeling as though paying a fine is the only option. That is not the case. There are two other options: attend a Driver Improvement Course or hire an attorney to fight your ticket. You must notify the Clerk of the Court in writing when you intend on taking the Driver Improvement Course within thirty days of your ticket. You then must complete the course within ninety days of the citation. The limitations on the course allowance are that you must not have taken the course in the last ninety days and you cannot take it more than five times in your lifetime. The upside of taking the course is a lower penalty and can mean points are kept off of your license. The other option is to request a hearing in writing form the Clerk of the Court within thirty days of your citation. At the hearing, either you or your Volusia County Speeding Ticket Lawyer can argue your defense and have the judge hear your side of the case. You may request also that points be kept off of your license.
The importance of keeping points off of your license stems from the fact that you cannot accrue more than a certain number of points within a certain amount of time without there being harsher penalties attached. For example, twelve points accrued in twelve months will result in your license being suspended for one month. Eighteen points in eighteen months will result in a license suspension of three months. Twenty-four points in thirty-six months will result in a year suspension. Any additional points will result in ninety day suspensions attached. It is also important to note that points on your license may render you a “high risk” driver. Insurance companies may, at their sole discretion, require you to carry a SR-22 policy. These policies are expensive costing up to four times the premiums of standard safe driver insurance.
Criminal citations may require a hearing. You can hire a Volusia County Traffic Attorney to help defend your case or you may go to court on your own. These violations require higher penalties including probation, jail time, fines/fees, restitution if necessary, drug screenings, larger number of points attaching, among other punitive measures. If you find that you would like to hire a Volusia County Traffic lawyer it is best to hire one early on in your case so they can best assist you in gaining knowledge about the process and the likely outcomes of your case.
Volusia County has four courthouses. The courthouse addresses are listed below. There you can find the Clerk of Court who can assist you in requesting the proper hearing, give notice of your option to take the Driver Improvement Course, and take payment on your fees/fines. Also, the courthouses are where your hearings will be held. Below are the addresses:
Volusia County Courthouse
101 North Alabama Avenue
DeLand, FL 32724
New Smyrna Beach Courthouse Annex
124 North Riverside Drive
New Smyrna Beach, FL 32168
Daytona Beach Courthouse Annex
125 East Orange Avenue
Daytona Beach, FL 32114
Daytona Beach Justice Center
251 North Ridgewood Avenue
Daytona Beach, FL 32114
Volusia County is a vast county with Flagler College, Stetson University, Daytona Beach, and Orlando close by. There are so many things to do and see in the county bringing many tourists through the area. Tourists, of course, mean more patrolling police officers to ensure that unknown motorists abide by traffic laws. If you find yourself faced with a speeding ticket or traffic citation, you should hire a Volusia County Traffic Attorney as soon as possible to ensure that deadlines are not missed and you have all of the knowledge you need to make sure your needs are protected.