AT THIS TIME WE ARE NOT HANDLING TICKETS IN THIS COUNTY
Walton County is located in northwest Florida in the panhandle. The city seat is Defuniak Springs, Florida. Choctawhatchee National Forest is located in Walton County. The county population is nearly 52,000 people.
Walton County Courthouse houses the clerk of the court at two locations: Walton County Courthouse, Traffic Division, 571 US Highway 90, East Defuniak Springs, Florida 32433 and Walton County Courthouse annex at 31 Coastal Centre Boulevard, Santa Rosa Beach, Florida 32459. The courthouse is where you would have a hearing or pay any citation you may have received. Traffic citations in Walton County come in two groups: civil and criminal. Criminal citations are penalized much differently than civil citations. Impoundment, jail time, probation, community service, drug or alcohol treatment programs, fines/fees and points assessed may be repercussions for criminal citations. Criminal citations include driving under the influence, driving with a suspended license, leaving the scene of the crime, reckless driving, and other violations. These citations require a hearing before a judge or magistrate. You, any witnesses, the citation issuing police officer, a judge, and a Walton County Traffic Attorney may be present at the hearing. They can assist you presenting any possible defenses in your case.
A civil citation can be satisfied with any one of three options: 1) payment of fine/fee and acceptance of any points, 2) contesting the ticket by entering a not guilty plea and attending a hearing on the citation, or 3) electing to take driver improvement school and payment of a fine/fee but no points assessed on your record. The Driver Improvement course can be taken online, in person, or on DVD/video. In order to take the course, you must elect to take the course in writing with the Clerk of the Court within thirty days from the date of the citation. The course is a four hour course that can keep points off of your license. You must submit an affidavit of intent to complete the course and then submit your certificate of completion after the course has been completed. The course must be completed ninety days from the date of the citation. You can contest the ticket by entering a plea of not guilty and attending a hearing set by the clerk. You, any witnesses, the issuing police officer, and judge and a Defuniak Springs Speeding Ticket lawyer may be present at the hearing should you choose to hire one. Point may be avoided by taking the course or issuing a plea of not guilty.
It is important to keep points off of your record. Insurance companies may require you to have an SR-22 insurance policy. The premiums associated with the SR-22 policy can be up to four times as much as a safe driver policy. It can take up to five years to have points erased from your record. Furthermore, points accruing at rapid rates may result in license suspension. Points accrued at a rate of twelve points in one year may result in a month suspension. Eighteen points in a year and a half may result in a three month suspension. Finally, twenty-four points in three years may result in one year. Any additional points may result in an additional three month suspension added to the intial suspension penalty.
Points are assessed according to the following schedule:
| POINTS | VIOLATIONS |
|---|---|
| 3 | Littering, child restraint violations, speeding 15 miles per hour over the limit, open container violation |
| 4 | Passing a stopped school bus, speeding 16 miles per hour over the speed limit, Reckless driving |
| 6 | Speeding resulting in a collision or leaving the scene of the crime (<$50) |
If you find yourself with a traffic citation, you should hire a Walton County Traffic Attorney today. A Defuniak Springs Speeding Ticket Lawyer can assist you in educating you about the process and procedure, dedicate time to attending hearings and drafting essential paperwork, and outlining and determining defenses that may be available to your case.
