Getting a traffic ticket in Florida can be a frustrating experience. It can lead to increased insurance rates, points on your driver’s license, and even suspension of your driving privileges if you accumulate too many tickets or fail to pay them on time. Knowing whether you have any outstanding tickets on your Florida driver’s license record is important so that you can take steps to resolve them before they lead to more severe consequences.
In Florida, the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) maintains driving records that include any traffic citations, suspensions, revocations and accidents associated with a driver’s license number. This article will provide guidance on how to check your Florida driver’s license record to see if you have any unpaid tickets or other issues that need addressing.
Request Your Florida Driver License Record
The easiest way to check your Florida driver’s license record is to request a copy directly from the DHSMV. This can be done online, by mail or in person at a DHSMV office.
To request your record online, visit the DHSMV website and complete the Driver License or ID Card Record Request form. You will need to provide your driver’s license number, date of birth and social security number. The fee is $8.
If you prefer, you can submit a Driver License Record Request Form by mail. This form can be printed from the DHSMV website. Complete the form with your personal details, sign it and mail it to the address provided along with a check or money order for $8 made payable to the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.
Finally, you can request your driver license record in person at any Florida DHSMV office. Bring your photo ID and be prepared to pay the $8 record fee.
Once your request is processed, the DHSMV will mail you an official copy of your driver license record showing any tickets, suspensions, revocations or other actions taken against your license in the last 7 years. Carefully review the record to check for any outstanding issues.
Review Your Record for Ticket Information
When you receive your official driver license record from the DHSMV, look it over closely for any mention of traffic citations or other infractions. Tickets will be listed by the county and agency that issued them along with the date of offense. The status of the ticket will also be shown.
Here are some things to look for when reviewing your record for tickets:
– Pending Tickets – Any unpaid tickets will be listed as pending and you will need to take action to resolve them. Failure to do so could lead to a license suspension.
– Adjudicated Tickets – Tickets marked adjudicated mean you were found guilty and must pay the associated fine. Unpaid adjudicated tickets could also trigger a suspension.
– Withhold Adjudication Tickets – These are tickets where you opted for traffic school or were given probation. Make sure all requirements were completed to avoid license issues.
– Dismissed Tickets – Tickets marked dismissed do not require any further action. However, some dismissed tickets may still assess points.
– Ticket Points – Most moving violations in Florida carry points on your license in addition to fines. Check how many points you have as too many can mean a suspension.
So carefully inspecting your driver license record from the DHSMV for any of these types of tickets is the best way to see if you have outstanding citations that require follow up. Don’t ignore them or your license could be impacted.
Check Your Driver License Status Online
In addition to reviewing your full record, you can also do a quick check of your Florida driver’s license status online. The DHSMV offers an online license check that shows if your license is valid, expired or has been suspended or revoked.
To check your license status, go to the Florida DHSMV website and use the Driver License Check tool. Enter your name, date of birth and driver’s license number. The system will display your license status including any suspensions or revocations.
This online check does not provide full ticket details like your official driver record, but it does clearly indicate if your license is invalid or suspended which is often the result of unpaid tickets. So it’s a fast way to see if you may have an issue that needs further investigation.
Remember that an invalid or suspended Florida license can prevent you from legally driving until the underlying issues are resolved. And driving with a suspended license can potentially lead to your vehicle being impounded or result in criminal charges. So take action promptly if you find your license status is not valid.
Contact the Court or Collection Agency
If upon checking your driver license record you find citations that are still pending or were adjudicated but remain unpaid, you will need to contact the court or collection agency listed to resolve them. Leaving tickets unpaid and unresolved can eventually lead to license suspension along with additional fees.
Most Florida county and municipal courts have websites where you can search for your citation by name or ticket number. Court websites will provide information on fine amounts due, how to pay tickets, request time extensions, or dispute citations.
If your unpaid ticket has gone to collections, contact the collection agency handling the debt. Work with them to arrange payment plans or settle the debt. Get any payment agreements in writing. Clearing ticket debt in collections is the only way to remove the infractions from your license record.
Act promptly to address any problem tickets found on your driver’s license record. Taking care of tickets and preventing a suspension will ensure you maintain legal driving privileges in Florida. Don’t wait until your license is suspended to take action on unpaid fines.
Check Your Traffic Ticket Status Online
Rather than waiting for your full driver record from the DHSMV, you can check on the status of a specific traffic ticket online through many county court systems. This allows you to get real-time information on any pending tickets issued to you in that court’s jurisdiction.
To look up your traffic ticket status online, start by identifying the court that handled the citation – this information will be on the actual ticket or summons. Common courts that issue traffic tickets are County Court, Clerk of Court, and Municipal Court.
Once you know the court, visit its website and look for an online case search or traffic ticket search. Many Florida county court websites like Miami-Dade, Broward, and Hillsborough allow you to search by your name, date of birth or ticket number to pull up pending cases.
When you locate your traffic case, carefully review the status – common statuses include:
– Pending – Ticket has not yet been resolved, fine is still outstanding
– Adjudicated – You were found guilty and must pay fine due
– Dismissed – Ticket resolved in your favor, no fine due
– Closed – Ticket fully resolved by payment or other means
Checking directly with the court that handled your ticket by looking up your traffic case online is the quickest way to get status information on a specific citation. This can help you stay up to date on taking any actions needed to avoid license suspensions.
Review Your Credit Reports
An additional way to check for any unresolved traffic tickets impacting your Florida driver’s license is to review your credit reports. Unpaid traffic fines often get reported to the credit bureaus and will show up on your credit history.
Order free copies of your credit reports from the three major bureaus – Equifax, Experian and Transunion. Carefully scan the accounts section for any collections items related to unpaid traffic or court fines. Also look in the public records section.
Having unpaid tickets go to collections can severely damage your credit score. And listing of traffic debt on your credit history is a warning sign that your license could face suspension for failure to pay fines.
If you find unpaid tickets on your credit reports, follow up directly with the court or collection agency involved to resolve the debts. Get receipts for any payments made and confirmation when balances are paid in full.
Then dispute the negative items on your credit reports to have the derogatory information removed. Clearing up these unpaid debts will help improve your credit standing.
Monitoring your credit reports is a good way to catch any traffic violations that have gone to collections so you can address them promptly. This can help you avoid license suspension.
Sign Up for Case Status Alerts
To stay on top of your traffic ticket situation in Florida and prevent any surprises on your driver’s license, sign up for case status alerts through the court’s online portal. Many county court websites allow you to enter your email or phone number to receive notifications when there is activity on your traffic case.
Alerts you may receive include:
– Notice of upcoming court date for pending ticket
– Notification of adjudication and fine due
– Warning of failure to pay fine
– Notice of potential license suspension
These automated status alerts can keep you informed about exactly what is happening with a traffic citation and remind you to take any actions needed to preserve your driving privileges. Be sure to opt-in to alerts for each ticket you receive.
Status notifications are very useful for catching tickets you may have forgotten about or lost track of. Getting a notice of an overdue fine right on your phone is a great way to avoid a suspended license resulting from unpaid traffic debt. Sign up for case alerts and stay in the loop.
Review Florida DHSMV Point System
Florida assigns points to certain moving violations in addition to fines and court costs. Too many points on your license during a specific timeframe can lead to suspension. Checking your total points can give you insight into your ticket situation.
The Florida point system works as follows:
– Most moving violations have points between 3 and 6
– Accumulating 12-14 points in 12 months leads to a license suspension
– Accumulating 15-17 points in 18 months leads to a suspension
– Accumulating 18-20 points in 36 months leads to a revocation
To check the number of points you currently have on your Florida license, you will need to order your official driver record from the DHSMV. This will list any tickets along with associated points.
Be aware that points stay on your record for 10 years, even after paying associated fines. Repeat offenses lead to more points. You can take driving school to help reduce points.
Monitoring your points is important to gauge your standing with the Florida DHSMV. Being aware of your total points can help motivate you to resolve tickets quickly and avoid a suspended license.
Request an Administrative Review
If you find your Florida driver’s license has already been suspended, either due to points or unpaid tickets, you may file a request for an administrative review with the DHSMV. This gives you a chance to present documentation and challenge the license suspension.
To start the review process, get and complete Form HSMV 77027 from the DHSMV site. On the form, you must explain the reason you are challenging the suspension. Examples include:
– Proof ticket has been paid
– Evidence suspension was issued in error
– Documentation showing compliance with court orders
Submit the administrative review request form along with supporting documents and a $25 fee. If your challenge is successful, the suspension will be lifted. However, this does not remove tickets from your record.
Act fast if your license is suspended, as driving with a suspended license can potentially lead to criminal charges in Florida. Through the administrative review process, you may be able to get your driving privileges reinstated while you work to resolve any outstanding tickets.
Retain an Attorney
If you are unable to get your Florida driver’s license suspension resolved through the DHSMV administrative review, or you believe serious errors were made in issuing citations against you, it may be advisable to retain a traffic ticket attorney to assist you.
An attorney can help by:
– Identifying any legal flaws in how a ticket was issued
– Representing you in traffic court for a not guilty verdict
– Negotiating reduction of fines or dismissal of citations
– Working out structured payment plans for fines
– Advocating to the DMV to get your license reinstated
Having an experienced lawyer deal with complex ticket situations can often lead to more favorable outcomes vs trying to handle matters on your own. This can get your license suspension lifted so you can legally drive again.
Be sure to retain counsel that specializes in traffic and license defense. Fees vary but tend to be very reasonable compared to the costs of citations and losing your license.
Conclusion
Having your Florida driver’s license suspended can disrupt your life by preventing you from legally operating a motor vehicle. This harsh action is most often the result of accumulating unpaid traffic fines and fees or too many points from moving violations.
Now that you understand how to check for tickets on your Florida license record, monitor it regularly for any issues that require follow up. Be proactive about resolving any outstanding fines with the courts to avoid suspensions. And drive carefully and responsibly to minimize points.
If you do find your license was suspended in error, act swiftly to request administrative review with the DHSMV or retain a traffic attorney to advocate on your behalf for reinstatement of your driving privileges. Taking the proper steps to check for and handle tickets is crucial for maintaining a valid, active Florida driver’s license.