St. Lucie County is located on the East coast of Florida. The county is home to many residents that enjoy the Atlanic coast line, along with the parade of tourists that enjoy the waves. The beach and the laidback lifestyle bring a lot of people to the county. Major highways including Interstate 95, Us Highway 1, Florida State Road 716, Florida State Road 70, Florida State Road 68, Florida State Road 615, Florida State Road 614, Florida’s Turnpike, Florida State Road A1A, Florida State Road 608, Florida State Road 607, and Florida State Road 713. The cities in the county are Fort Pierce, Port St. Lucie, and St. Lucie. These cities are patrolled by local law enforcement agencies. Fort Pierce Police Department, Port St. Lucie Police Department, St. Lucie Police Department, Florida Highway Patrol, and St. Lucie Sheriff’s Office.
The law enforcement agencies may issue two types of citations: criminal or civil. Criminal citations require a hearing. At the hearing, you, your St. Lucie Traffic Attorney, any witnesses, the citation issuing or arresting officer, and a judge or magistrate presiding over your case will be present. This will be your opportunity to present your case to the judge along with any defenses that you may have. These violations include Driving Under the Influence, driving with a suspended license, driving with a revoked license, and reckless driving among other violations. Penalties for criminal violations include probation, jail time, community service, fines and fees, and many other possible penalties. Treatment may also be ordered at the hearing as well.
Civil infractions include unlawful speed, careless driving, failure to stop or yield at a traffic signal, among other infractions. Civil infractions have other penalties as well that come along with them. The penalties may be fines or fees and points on your license. The first option you have with a ticket is to pay the citation and accept the points on your license. This will not allow you to keep points off of your license, but in some instances it may be the only remedy that applies to you. Your second option is to pay the fine or fee and attend a driver improvement course. If you elect to attend a driver improvement course, you will need to tell the Clerk of the Court that you intend to take the course. The Clerk of the Court can be found at the courthouse: 201 South Indian River Drive, Fort Pierce, Florida. The course is approximately four (4) hours long. It can be taken online, in person in a classroom setting, and on DVD/video. You must take the course within sixty (60) days. At the end of the course, you will receive a Certificate of Completion. Once you have the Certificate of Completion, you will need to file it with the Clerk of the Court. This is to ensure that no further penalties or fees and fines are assessed on your record. There are limitations as to how many times you can take the course. You can only take it one time in twelve (12) months. You can also only take it five (5) times in your lifetime. If you have already met these limitations, then you may either accept the points on your license or contest the ticket. If you decide to contest the ticket, you will need to tell the Clerk within thirty (30) days. He or she will give you a hearing date. You must attend the hearing. You, your St. Lucie County traffic lawyer, any witnesses, the citation issuing officer, and a judge or magistrate presiding over your case will be present. At the hearing you or your Port St. Lucie speeding ticket lawyer will present your case and defenses to your case.
Points on your license can lead to two negative results: license suspension or higher insurance premiums. Your insurance company may decide in their sole discretion that you are a “high risk” diver. Being labeled as such, you may be required to carry an SR-22 insurance policy. These policies are approximately four (4) times as much as safe driver insurance. This will have a damaging effect on your lifestyle, so it is best to keep points on your license as low as possible. Furthermore, points on your license may result in license suspension. If you accrue twelve (12) points in twelve (12) months, your license may be suspended for one month. If you accrue eighteen (18) points in eighteen (18) months, your license may be suspended for three months. Finally, if you accrue twenty-four (24) points in thirty-six (36) months, your license may be suspended for one year. Any additional points that are acquired, may result in your license being suspended for three additional months on top of any existing suspensions.
If you find yourself a with a ticket, you are not alone. There are thousands of people just like you. The best thing you can do at this points is to contact your local St. Lucie County Traffic Attorney to help counsel you on the best case scenario and how to get there. They will give you the education you need about the process and how to protect your rights. As you can see, there are numerous deadlines, so contact your Port St. Lucie Attorney today so they can make sure your rights are protected!
