Quote:
Originally Posted by mazbarth
I had an experience that I'm curious if anyone else has had and wonder what you did about it?
I was pulled over by a traffic cop in Fruitland Park on 441, just after pulling off of 466a. The speed limit was 35mph and I was going 38, according to the cop.
It was also near a school zone, but there were no children, cars, buses or other signs of life near the school at the time I went through there (I remember it was after 3pm). There was a sign that said slow to 20mph when flashing, which it was NOT doing when I went by.
The ticket to pay it off would have been just over $400, plus "points.".
Because I was going to be out-of-the-country at the time of the hearing, I hired a rep from "Ticket Clinic" to protest for me, which they did for $99.
Imagine my surprise when shortly after the court date, I got the letter saying the attorney was able to get a "withheld adjudication" but now I owe almost $300 for "court costs!" Yep, the same courts that get our tax dollars every year!
This is in contrast to my partner's ticket this summer while we were in MD for a few months. He was driving when a speed cam caught him doing 15 mph over the limit. His ticket price.... $40, all via the mail.
There was just no fairness to this & I was stunned by it all!
Something is very weird about this inequity. It seems to me that Lake County, FL is running a real "racket!" Be forewarned when you are near that area.....
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I was warned about Fruitland Park "The Friendly City" traffic enforcement in 2008 when we first moved into The Villages. A friend described a similar incident. Due to that I am always very diligent going thru 466A. It seems that I heard that they had a cleansing 10-15 years ago, but I still am cautious.
However, I would say that throughout Florida there is nowhere I that I would challenge the speed limit in a school zone. Even though the flashing light was not active, the speed limit is 35 and not 38. The fact that you did not notice the Officer or even if you did notice and still exceeded the limit you were inviting a visit. Perhaps in a more rural area or highway you might get some compassion.