Washington County, Florida is located in northwest Florida in the panhandle. The county is surrounded by approximately 22,000 people as residents. Chipley is the major city in the county. Depending on the time of the year, the county offers seasonal fruit and vegetable picking, hiking trails, art festivals, among other activities.
The county is located in the middle of the panhandle with many tourists travelling through the county and many residents relying on the roadways. These roadways are patrolled with local police departments, Florida Highway Patrol, and Washington County Sheriff’s Office. The county has both civil and criminal citations. Civil citations include citations that have fines/fees and points as penalties. Criminal citations include citations that have hearings and/or other penalties attached. Civil infractions include unlawful speed, failure to stop at a stop sign, failure to maintain proof of insurance/registration, and other violations. Criminal infractions include driving under the influence, reckless driving, leaving the scene of the crime and other violations. Any hearing requested or required will be held at the Washington County courthouse located at: 1293 Jackson Avenue, Chipley, Florida 32428. The clerk of the court’s mailing address is Washington County Clerk of the Court, Traffic Department, PO Box 647, Chipley, Florida 32428.
There are three options for civil citations. These options are: 1) simply pay the fine/fee and incur points as a penalty, 2) take the Driver Improvement Course, or 3) contest your ticket at a hearing. The fine or fee option can be taken care of by mailing the fee or fine to the address above or visiting the clerk of the court at the physical address to pay in person. You can also pay it online at the Clerk of the Court website. In order to take the Driver Improvement Course, there are some rules and restrictions that must be followed. You can only take the course five times in your lifetime. You may also only take it one time in any twelve month period. In order to qualify for it, you must elect to take it by giving written notice to the Clerk of Court within thirty days of your citation. The course must be completed within ninety days of the citation. In order to take the course, you must submit a one time fee of $7 along with an affidavit stating you wish to take the course. You must then take the course within sixty days. For completion, you must submit the certificate of completion via fax, email, or mail to the clerk of the court. Should you not take the course, you may be assessed additional fees, penalties, and your license may get suspended as well.
In order to contest your ticket, you must give written notice to the clerk of the court at the aforementioned mailing license or bring in your written request to the clerk at the courthouse within thirty days of getting the citation. At the hearing, the judge, the police officer that issued your citation, yourself, any witnesses, and a Washington County Traffic attorney may be present should you choose to hire one. You may be forced to pay the fee up to $1,000 and any court costs associated with the hearing should you be found guilty. However, if you are not adjudicated guilty, then you may avoid points, fees/fines, and a mark on your driving record. A Chipley Speeding Ticket Lawyer can assist you in planning your case and arriving at possible defenses to present to the court.
Points on your record can result in further cost to both your pocket book and liberty. Your license may be suspended for a month should you accrue twelve points in twelve months. A three month suspension may be imposed for attaining eighteen points in a year and a half. Finally, with an accrual of twenty-four points in three years, your license can be suspended for a whole year. Any additional points would require an additional three month suspension as a penalty.
If you have gotten a traffic citation, you should hire a Washington County traffic attorney to assist you in having your rights protected. A Chipley Speeding Ticket lawyer can help you plan your case, give you advice, and attend hearings for you.
