Sumter County is located just north of Tampa and east of Hernando and Citrus counties. The county is nicknamed “hog county” due to the wide population of wild hogs that inhabit it. It is a very rural county and a majority of its residents have taken up hog hunting as a pastime. The human population of Sumter County is just over 101,000 people. The largest cities are Bushnell and Wildwood with Bushnell as the County’s governmental hub. The Villages retirement community is located within the Sumter County limits. There is also a local museum that has recently started the exhibition of “Sumter County: Past, Present, and Future.”
Interstate 75, Florida Turnpike, US 301, State Road 44 all run through the County. These roads are heavily policed by local police departments and Florida Highway Patrol. There are reports that the Florida Highway Patrol often does aerial speed patrolling by determining your speed and sending you a ticket in the mail. These ticket infractions can be best fought by retaining a Bushnell or Wildwood Speeding Ticket Lawyer.
When faced with a moving violation, you can alert the Clerk of the Court that you are wanting to fight your ticket by giving them written notice within thirty (30) days of the citation. At these hearings, you should come with any witnesses, your Sumter County Traffic Attorney should you have hired one, and the police officer will attend as an opposing witness. The judge will then rule as to your guilt or innocence and the applicability of any defenses that you or your Sumter County Speeding Ticket Attorney may present. You may reach the Clerk of the Circuit Court or attend a hearing at the Sumter County Courthouse, which is located at 209 North Florida Street, Bushnell, Florida 33513. Sumter County is in the 5th Judicial Circuit in Florida, which has several judges and hearing officers to assist in hearing your case.
With over 13,000 moving violations issued in the county last year, it is remarkable that over 10,0000 of these violations were for speeding. These offenses also come with points on your license. These points may be kept off of your license by attending a Driver Improvement Course that has been approved by the state. These courses are available online or in person. A simple search online will yield a wide array of Driver Improvement Courses. Also, a Bushnell or Wildwood Traffic lawyer can assist you in keeping points off your license by asking the court to not permit the points to be put on your license.
The points can add up leading to a suspension of your license. If you receive 12 or more in a year then you may be subject to a one month suspension. If you receive 18 or more in a year and a half, then you may be subject to a 3 month suspension. If you receive 24 or more in 3 years, you may be subject to a year suspension. These points also lead to higher premiums on your insurance. You may be placed as a high risk driver, which could quadruple the cost of your insurance premiums. While a Driver Improvement Course may keep points off of your license, you can only take the course up to five times in your lifetime. The course is available online, on DVD/video, or in the classroom. If you have taken it 5 times or choose to defend your rights, a Sumter County Traffic Attorney can best assist you in educating you about your rights and options.
A Bushnell or Wildwood Traffic lawyer can assist you several things. They can educate you about your rights, present possibly outcomes—including best/worst case scenarios, inform you of defenses in your case, and act as your representative in hearings. A lawyer may also keep points off of your license to make sure the points will not affect your insurance premiums or the possibility of any suspensions in the future.
