Getting a traffic ticket in Florida is risky if you get enough points against your license. When in court, you should fight the ticket. These are some potential strategies that might work.
Go to court and be lucky
There’s no guarantee this will happen, but if you show up at court and the police officer who issued the traffic ticket doesn’t appear, the case can be dismissed. In cases involving traffic violations, the officer must show. If they don’t, there’s no basis for a case.
Challenge the officer’s opinion
Some police officers issue traffic tickets based on their own personal opinion. In that scenario, you can challenge that subjective conclusion in court. For example, if you were traveling only a few miles per hour over the posted speed limit but maintained a reasonable, safe speed, this defense might work.
Challenge the officer’s observations
You can also challenge the officer’s observations. In some situations, it’s only the officer’s word against you that determines the outcome of the case. For example, if there is no red light camera in the area and you were stopped by an officer who wrote you a ticket for running a red light, the officer’s observations would be the only thing going against you.
However, avoid arguing in a way that makes your word versus the officer’s into an issue. Just try to provide evidence that the officer wasn’t in a good position to make their judgment call that you violated traffic laws.
Show mistake of fact
Sometimes, the court will accept that you made an honest mistake and rule “mistake of fact” in the case and dismiss the ticket. There must be a sufficient reason for the error such as a broken traffic light or obstructed stop sign.
Depending on the circumstances, you might be able to prove to the court that your traffic ticket should be waived.
