Defense Against Running a Red Light or Stop Sign in Florida

Being cited for running a stop sign or a red light is one of the most common tickets drivers get in Florida. Whether you missed a sign, made a “rolling stop,” or were caught by a camera, these tickets are not minor.

At 305 Ticket Defense, we are ready to fight your ticket to prevent fines and points that hurt your driving record and increase your insurance rates.

Penalties for a Red Light or Stop Sign Violation

A conviction for either a stop sign violation or a police-issued red light ticket is more than just a momentary annoyance—it carries serious, long-lasting penalties for your driving record and your finances.

A conviction typically results in:

1. 3 Points on Your Driving Record:
   1. These points are immediately assessed and are reported to your insurance company. You need just a few tickets before you hit the threshold for mandatory license suspension.
2. Hefty Fines:
   1. Fines often start at $179 or higher, depending on your county’s specific surcharges and fees. Paying this ticket is an official admission of guilt on your permanent record.
3. Skyrocketing Insurance Costs:
   1. This is the hidden financial penalty. Insurance companies can raise your premiums by hundreds of dollars annually for multiple years, meaning the long-term cost of that one ticket can easily reach thousands of dollars.

The Florida Point Suspension Risk

Accumulating just a few of these tickets can quickly lead to a suspended license under Florida’s point system:

• 12 points in 12 months = 30-day suspension
• 18 points in 18 months = 3-month suspension
• 24 points in 36 months = 1-year suspension

The last thing you should do is pay the ticket and accept the points. Paying means you admit guilt and willingly accept all these consequences. We work aggressively to avoid these convictions, aiming to get the ticket dismissed or reducedto a non-moving violation so you can keep driving without worry and protect your insurance rates.

Red Light Camera Tickets vs. Police-Issued Tickets: Know the Difference

It is vital to understand the difference between the two ways you can receive a ticket for running a red light in Florida, as they have different deadlines, fines, and consequences for your driving record.

1. Camera Tickets (No Points at first):
   1. Initial Notice (The First Mail):
      1. If you get the initial notice in the mail, it is a civil penalty (typically around $158). If you pay this fine, no points are added to your license, and your insurance is generally not affected.
   2. The Critical Danger:
      1. If you ignore the initial notice, the penalty will escalate to a court-issued traffic citation, which increases the fine to over $260 and then points are added to your driving record. We can help you challenge the escalation of the ticket to prevent this from happening.
2. Police Tickets (Immediate Points):
   1. Immediate Consequences:
      1. If a police officer pulls you over, the fine is often higher, and the associated points (3 or 4) are added to your license immediately upon conviction. This is a moving violation that puts your license and insurance premiums at direct risk.
   2. Need for Defense:
      1. It is critical to fight this kind of ticket because simply paying it means you accept the conviction and the points. Our lawyers can appear on your behalf to seek a dismissal or a reduction to a non-moving, no-points violation.

A Strong Legal Defense for Your Ticket

Our traffic ticket attorneys have handled hundreds of these cases and can build a robust defense tailored to your unique situation. We don’t just rely on hoping the officer doesn’t show up; we actively investigate the incident for these possible defenses:

• You Were Not the Driver (Camera Tickets):
  • For camera tickets, the initial notice is sent solely to the registered owner of the vehicle. If someone else was driving your car at the time of the flash, you can legally submit an affidavit to challenge the citation and shift the liability away from you.
• Improper Stop Sign/Light Visibility:
  • We investigate whether the traffic control device was clearly visible to a reasonably prudent driver. The stop sign may have been covered by dense tree foliage or graffiti, or the painted stop line may have been faded, cracked, or simply hard to see, which can negate the charge.
• The Officer Lacked a Clear View:
  • For police-issued stop sign tickets, the officer must prove they had an unobstructed view to confirm you failed to make a full stop. If the officer’s view was blocked by other cars, trees, or distance, we can argue they could not accurately observe the alleged violation.
• Emergency Situation (The Necessity Defense):
  • You may have run the red light or failed to stop fully to get out of the way of an emergency vehicle (like an ambulance or police car) or to avoid an accident. This necessity defense argues that you violated the law to prevent a greater harm.
• Technical Camera Malfunctions:
  • For red light camera citations, we can investigate the integrity of the camera system itself. This includes checking if the camera was properly certified, if the flash was triggered incorrectly, or if the video evidence itself is inconclusive in proving the vehicle entered the intersection after the light turned red.

Our experience allows us to look beyond the citation and find the technical or procedural errors that can lead to a dismissal.