Suwanee County is located in the middle of North Florida. The county is mostly rural with a population of only nearly 45,000 residents. The county has many festivals, rural activities, and many other events. Suwannee has two major cities: Live Oak and Branford. Live Oak is the county seat. The area is known for its central location and rural activities. It has many beautiful landscapes, nature trails, and local parks for residents and tourists alike to enjoy. Many major roadways cross the county because of its central location in the state. These roadways need to be patrolled by local and state level police agencies. The local police agencies are Live Oak Police Department, Branford Police Department, Suwannee Sheriff’s Department, and Florida Highway Patrol. These agencies are in charge of monitoring the local and state roadways.
The law enforcement agencies can issue one of two types of citations—criminal and civil. Criminal citations require a hearing. At the hearing, you, your Live Oak Traffic Attorney should you choose to hire one, any witnesses, the citation issuing or arresting officer, and a judge or magistrate will be present. You will be given the option to give your side of the case and tell the judge of any defenses you believe pertain to your case. Criminal violations include driving under the influence, driving with a suspended or revoked license, and reckless driving among other violations. The penalties involved with a criminal citation are license suspension, jail time, probation, community service, fines or fees among other penalties.
Civil citations have different penalties. These penalties include fines and fees and points. Civil infractions include unlawful speed, failure to stop or yield, among many other infractions. The first way to remedy a citation is to pay the fine or fee and accept the points on your license. The second option is to pay the fine or fee and elect to take the driver improvement course. If you elect to take the driver improvement course, you will need to alert the Clerk of the Court in writing within thirty (30) days of the citation. The Clerk of the Court can be reached at: 200 South Ohio Avenue, Live Oak, Florida. You must then complete the course within sixty (60) days. Once you have completed the course, you will be given a Certificate of Completion. You must submit the Certificate to the Clerk of the Court in order to avoid any additional fines or fees. There are limitations as to how many times you can take the course. You can only take the course one time in twelve (12) months. You can also only take it five (5) times in your lifetime. If you have taken the course the permitted number of times, you can either accept the points on your license or contest the ticket. If you contest the ticket, you will need to notify the Clerk of the Court within thirty (30) days of the citation. They will then give you a hearing date. You must attend the hearing. You, your Live Oak Speeding Ticket Lawyer, any witnesses, the citation issuing officer, and a judge or magistrate will be present. There, you can tell your side of the case and assert any defenses you may have that you believe pertain to your case. Keep in mind, if you are found guilty, you may be required to pay additional court costs.
Points on your license can result in two negative implications: your insurance premiums may go up and your license may be suspended. 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. If you accrue twenty-four (24) points in thirty-six (36) months, your license may be suspended for an entire year. Any additional points may result in an additional three month suspension being added to any existing suspension. Also, if you are labled by your insurance company, in their sole discretion, as a high risk driver, you may face higher premiums. Your insurance company may label you as such and require you to carry SR-22 insurance. These policies may be up to four (4) times as much as safe driver insurance.
| POINTS | VIOLATIONS |
|---|---|
| 0 | Non-Moving Violation |
| 3 | Careless driving, unlawful speeding, littering, child restraint violations |
| 4 | Reckless driving, unlawful speed 16 miles per hour or more over the speed limit |
| 6 | Collision resulting unlawful speed or leaving the scene of a crime (>$50 damage) |
Points may remain on your license for 3-5 years at a time.
If you find yourself with a ticket, you are not alone. There are thousands of individuals facing the same issues. There are ways to remedy the situation. Your best bet is to contact your local Suwannee County Traffic attorney to determine what your rights are. From there, you can work with him or her to determine how to get your best case scenario, to determine what you are most likely to encounter in the courtroom and how to best defend your liberties and privileges. Contact your local Suwanee County Speeding Ticket Lawyer today and make sure your rights are protected!
