Gilchrist County Traffic Attorney

Traffic ticket Attorneys serving Trenton, Florida

There are almost 1,000 speeding tickets issued in Gilchrist County, Florida in annually. Speeding tickets represented nearly 50% of the traffic citations issued in Gilchrist County. There is only one other traffic violation that was cited by law enforcement more than 100 times and that was for driving with a suspended license. Traffic violations can be either moving violations or non-moving violations. Moving violations are further broken down into categories of criminal and non-criminal. The nearly 800 traffic tickets issued for speeding are non-criminal moving violations. Other traffic tickets that were issued in Gilchrist County for non-criminal moving violations included careless driving tickets, citations for running a red light, tickets for improper passing and traffic citations for improper passing.

The most common traffic citation issued for a criminal violation was driving with a suspended license and that second-most common was DUI. Almost half of those were issued by the Florida Highway Patrol. Nearly 100 criminal violations are handed out for expired licenses or tags every year. Other traffic tickets are given for reckless driving and leaving the scene of an accident or what is commonly known as hit-and-run.

In Gilchrist County traffic tickets are paid to the Clerk of Courts located in Trenton, Florida. The clerk’s office is located at 112 S. Main Street. There is a P.O. Box set up to pay traffic tickets. If you are planning on pleading not guilty you must let the Clerk of Courts know that and you will be assigned a date for traffic court. You may also be eligible to handle the ticket by enrolling in an approved traffic school.

Located in north-central Florida, Gilchrist County is home to just over 17,000 people. It contains a total land mass of 349 square miles, making it one of Florida’s smaller counties. Its county seat is located in Trenton, and other towns here include Bell and Fanning Springs.

Since it is primarily rural area, Gilchrist County’s main attractions involve outdoor recreation. Much of the county is located along the Suwanee River, which means there are plenty of opportunities for swimming, boating, snorkeling, tubing and fishing. A farmer’s market located in Trenton is also a popular attraction during much of the year.

Government and Courts

Gilchrist County is located in the 8th Judicial Circuit of Florida. Its courthouse is found in Trenton, which is also where the clerk of court is found. Todd Newton holds that position and is responsible for overseeing the payment of traffic tickets. Those who elect to attend a driver improvement program after being cited must visit the clerk’s office in order to obtain an affidavit. This must be done within 30 days of the alleged violation.

Traffic Offenses

Gilchrist County is unique in that there are no four-lane highways or interstates located here. As such, many of the traffic violations involve leaving the scene of an accident involving property damage. Drivers who are found guilty of this offense can be assessed six points against their driving record. They can also receive six points whenever speeding results in a motor vehicle accident. Most offenses are worth only three points including following too closely, unsafe lane changes, and failure to yield the right-of-way.

Choices after being Cited with a traffic ticket

Gilchrist County drivers have three options after receiving a traffic ticket:

1. Pay fine in full and accept points against a driving record.

2. Plead not guilty and request a court hearing.

3. Elect to attend driver improvement training. This reduces the monetary fine while preventing points from accumulating on one’s record.

Benefits of Driver Improvement Training

In addition to reducing the monetary fine and preventing points from accumulating, there are other benefits to taking driver improvement training:

Insurance companies may not raise rates

Courses can be taken online or in person

Classes are very affordable

Online courses can be taken at an individual’s leisure

Regulated by DMV

The Florida Department of Motor Vehicles regulates all approved training courses. Drivers who elect to take driver improvement training should check with this agency for a list of approved providers since taking a class from an unauthorized vendor won’t prevent points from accumulating against a license.

Possible License Suspension

Drivers should know that whenever a certain number of points accrue, their driver’s license can be suspended as a result. Those who receive 12 points within 12 months face a 30-day suspension. When 18 points are accumulated within 18 months, the suspension period is three months. This increases to one full year whenever 24 points are racked up with a 36-month timeframe.

Seeking Legal Advice

It can be difficult to know which course of action is best after receiving a traffic ticket. Those in Gilchrist County who want to make the right move may want to contact a traffic ticket attorney in Trenton for more information.