Florida allows eligible drivers to elect traffic school up to eight times during their lifetime, but they cannot make an election if they have already made one within the preceding 12 months. Both restrictions apply. Having unused lifetime elections does not eliminate the 12-month waiting period.
For drivers receiving a traffic ticket in Sarasota, Bradenton, or elsewhere in Florida, traffic school can be an option for avoiding points. However, eligibility depends on the citation, your license status, and your prior elections.
Is the Lifetime Limit Five or Eight?
The current limit is eight elections. Information stating that Florida permits only five lifetime elections is outdated.
Florida Statutes section 318.14(9) establishes the eight-election lifetime limit and prohibits another election within the preceding 12 months. These limits apply statewide; receiving a ticket in a different county does not start a new allowance.
Does the Limit Reset Every January?
No. The restriction concerns the preceding 12 months, not the calendar year.
For example, an election made in December does not become available again simply because January begins. Before selecting traffic school for another ticket, confirm the date of your previous election and your remaining eligibility. FLHSMV describes the rule as one election in any 12-month period, with eight allowed over a lifetime.
Does Traffic School Dismiss the Ticket?
An eligible election results in withholding adjudication and avoiding points for that violation, provided the requirements are satisfied. That is different from dismissal. It also does not erase points from unrelated tickets.
The law provides an 18% reduction in the civil penalty covered by section 318.18(3), but that does not mean an 18% reduction in every component of the total amount due.
For more information about point assessments, see our article on which Florida traffic tickets carry points.
Who Cannot Use the Ordinary Traffic School Election?
Restrictions include:
- Drivers holding a commercial driver license or commercial learner’s permit, even when driving a personal vehicle.
- Drivers cited while operating a commercial motor vehicle.
- Drivers cited for speeding 30 mph or more above the posted limit.
- Certain license and registration violations excluded by the statute.
The ordinary election is also unavailable after eight lifetime elections or an election within the preceding 12 months.
Criminal traffic charges require separate handling. Sarasota’s clerk explains that a criminal traffic offense requires a court appearance; enrolling in an ordinary traffic school course does not resolve that obligation.
How Do You Elect Traffic School?
Registering for a course is not the same as making an election with the clerk.
In Manatee County, the clerk instructs drivers to submit their traffic school election form and required payment within 30 calendar days of receiving the ticket. Drivers must then complete the approved Basic Driver Improvement course and provide proof of completion within the applicable deadline. The clerk describes an additional 90-day completion period.
Sarasota County’s published traffic option form also requires the election and payment within 30 calendar days of the citation. However, that form specifies that the course must be completed and the certificate returned within 90 days of the citation date. Follow the deadline provided for your particular case rather than assuming every county calculates it identically.
What Happens If You Elect School but Do Not Finish?
Making the election is only the first step. Missing the course or certificate deadline can result in points, additional charges, and possible suspension of driving privileges.
Keep your completion certificate and confirm that the clerk received it. Do not assume that paying the course provider or finishing the class automatically satisfies the court’s filing requirement.
Should You Elect Traffic School or Contest the Ticket?
Before choosing, consider your prior elections, the alleged violation, and whether there may be grounds to contest the citation. Sarasota’s election form expressly states that choosing traffic school waives the right to a hearing.
The Law Offices of Jeffrey A. Haynes, P.A. can review your traffic citation, explain the available options, and help you decide how to proceed. If you received a ticket in Sarasota or Manatee County, contact our office before the response deadline.
