Florida DUI Traffic Ticket Lawyer Blog

The new seat belt law in the State of Florida got off to a bang on July 1 with the Hillsborough County Sherriff’s department writing over 200 tickets on the first day alone. Since then there hasn’t been many headlines written about F.S.S. 316.614 but today the drivers in downtown Sarasota got a reminder about the new law on Friday.

As SRQ residents pulled up to the stop light at Fruitville and 301 they saw a nice man in a sombrero (see photo) holding a sign. The cardboard sign said “Read F.S.S. 316.614. Tickets on sale $99.00”. As drivers looked on and honked at the man, actually a Sarasota police officer, they didn’t know what was lurking just a few hundred feet away. The sign was really just used to cover up the walkie talkie clipped to his collar letting a second officer on the next block know which cars to pull over due to a seat belt violation. As of 11:00 a.m. the pair were still hard at work.

If you have been issued a traffic ticket in Sarasota or Bradenton, please do not hesitate to contact David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourtickets.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact David via email or by stopping in our Sarasota office located at 200 N. Washington Blvd.

The cameras mounted to police cars are supposed to help catch and prosecute the bad guys this time the camera caught the cops. Four Hollywood, Florida police officers are accused of faking an arrest report to cover up a traffic accident after a video camera recorded the four officers scheming to doctor a crash report and accuse an innocent woman of DUI. (read more)

Apparently Officer Joel Francisco rear ended a woman’s car and without knowing his dashboard camera was on he and three other officers conspired to create a fake crash report to cover up the accident. The original report said a cat sitting on the driver’s lap was the cause of the accident and the woman was arrested on charges of drunk driving. The state attorney’s office has now dropped those charges and the four officers are under investigation.

If you have been charged with a DUI in Tampa or Hillsborough County, please do not hesitate to contact David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourtampadui.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact David via email or by stopping in our new Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.

In a couple weeks Bradenton drivers will be under the watchful eye of red light cameras. A similar company that installed the cameras in Bradenton is operating red light cameras in another Florida town and in just one month, they city is raking in fine money. According to Bay News 9 4,400 citations have been issued and one Lakeland woman has already accumulated more than $1000 in fines.

If you think the red light cameras won’t affect you because you will stop on yellow rather than gun it through a red, you need to be aware of another thing these cameras can catch. According to Lakeland police a majority of the red light camera tickets are for drivers rolling past the white line before making a right turn on a red. That was the case for Kristen Kent who received seven tickets at the same intersection for the same violation and now owes more than $1000.

Police contend this driving behavior is just as dangerous as speeding through a red light because a pedestrian could be in that crosswalk when a driver makes that right on a red without stopping. Kent says it is hard to argue with the photographic proof of her violations but argued she wouldn’t have been charged with the offense seven times if an officer had stopped her initially and let her know what she was doing was a violation.

If you have a traffic ticket in Bradenton, Sarasota or Manatee due to the red light cameras or any other offense, please do not hesitate to contact Sarasota Traffic Attorney David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT to discuss the matter or visit our website at fightyourtickets.com. Also you can contact David via email or by stopping in our Sarasota office located at 200 N. Washington Blvd.

Two employees of the St. Petersburg Times newspaper were arrested late Monday and early Tuesday for suspicion of DUI according to the newspaper’s website. The first arrest happened at 11:15 p.m. Monday night and involved Tampa publisher Joe DeLuca. (read more) DeLuca, who is responsible for the Times’ business operations in Tampa, was pulled over at Gandy and Westshore according to reports. He refused to take a breath test.

Later that evening community sports editor Michael Camunas was pulled over on Bruce B. Downs where he allegedly blew a 0.19 on a breath test.(read more) Camunas is the community sports editor covering Hernando and Pasco counties. Both men were taken to Hillsborough County Jail on $500 bail.

If you have been charged with a DUI in Tampa or Hillsborough County, please do not hesitate to contact David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourtampadui.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact David via email or by stopping in our new Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.

Reading the latest statistics on DUI accidents and deaths in Florida can be a bit confusing. As with any statistic it really depends on how you look at the numbers. The total number of accidents this decade caused by driving under the influence has remained rather steady. The number has been somewhere between 22,000 and 24,000 each year. While that number has remained rather consistent, the number of deaths in DUI-related accidents has increased. (read more)

The number of deaths in DUI accidents has gone from 979 in 2000 to 1,169 in 2008. While that is an increase of 190 deaths and a 19% spike, it actually is not an increase when you look at the percentages. With more drivers on the road, the number of deaths per DUI accidents has remained at about 6 per 100,000. MADD and the Florida Highway Patrol believe those numbers are a good sign but both know more work needs to be done. While MADD continues to push for more stringent legislation, due to overcrowded jails, many in Law Enforcement believe the more logical next step will be education.

If you have been charged with a DUI in Tampa or Hillsborough County, please do not hesitate to contact David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourtampadui.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact David by stopping in our new Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.

In a couple weeks Bradenton drivers may need to think twice about running that red light coming off the DeSoto Bridge and heading south on U.S. 41 due to installation of new cameras. The cameras are up and will start taking photos of license plates beginning in August. (read more)

The cameras will be tested before implementation begins and the project is a joint venture with ACS State and Local Solutions. The company paid for the cameras and installation and will receive $40 from each $125 ticket. According to Bradenton Police Sgt. Brian Theirs studies indicate there is a high number of violations at this particular intersection.

If you have a traffic ticket in Bradenton, Sarasota or Manatee, please do not hesitate to contact Sarasota Traffic Attorney Stephen Higgins, Esq. at 1-800-FIGHT-IT to discuss the matter. Also you can contact Stephen via email.

Going back to the mid-1970’s 63-year old Lonnie Harris had been arrested 16 times for driving without a license. That number is now up to 18 and Harris won’t get a chance to add to it for a while. Harris has agreed to a plea that will land him in jail for three years. (read more)

Harris received credit for the 62 days he spent in a Crystal Lake jail in 2007. This was his first arrest since being arrested in 2004 for the same crime in Lake County. Most of the man’s previous 16 arrests came in Illinois.

If you have a traffic ticket in Florida, please do not hesitate to contact Traffic Attorney Stephen Higgins, Esq. at 1-800-FIGHT-IT to discuss the matter.

Starting September 1st fines for speeding and running a red light are going to be higher than Florida drivers are used to in at least once county. Sarasota County city commissioners voted to double the county’s surcharge on some noncriminal traffic violations. (read more)

The decision comes after a new state law was passed allowing Florida counties to double their fees to cover rising court costs. In Sarasota County traffic citation fees generated $700,000 but court costs were $1.2 million. City commissioners are obviously hoping this doubling of the fees will help offset that deficit.

If you have a traffic ticket in Florida, please do not hesitate to contact Florida Traffic Attorney Stephen Higgins, Esq. at 1-800-FIGHT-IT to discuss the matter. Also you can contact Stephen via email.

What seemed like a routine traffic stop at 1:36 a.m. in Pinellas County turned into anything but that according to sheriff’s deputies. The police allege that Jose Miguel Rodriguez-Irizarry sped past four sheriff’s deputies at 63 MPH in a 35 MPH on Main Street in St. Pete. When deputies tried to pull Rodriguez-Irizarry over he sped up to 80 MPH in a 45 MPH speed zone. When deputies finally made the traffic stop, things got strange. (read more)

According to police reports after Rodriguez-Irizarry was stopped he asked the deputies not to arrest him and if they did he would kill them and their families. At that point a charge of threatening a public servant was added to reckless driving.

If you have been charged with a crime in St. Petersburg or have been involved in a traffic offense in Hillsborough County, please do not hesitate to contact Pinellas Attorney Stephen Higgins, Esq. at 1-800-FIGHT-IT to discuss the matter. Also you can contact Stephen by stopping in our new Pinellas County office located at 4500 140th Avenue North Suite #219.

The Tampa Bay area has been torn over the hit-and-run case involving a teenager who ran over and killed a homeless woman and then fled the scene. The now 17-year-old girl has been offered a plea that would require she spend no time in jail. Just 60 miles away another Florida teen who driving led to a death is being charged with third-degree murder. (read more)

The case in Weeki Wachee involves 17-year-old Andrew Morris who took his mother’s car without permission and ended up causing a crash that killed Scott Bierwiler. The difference in the two cases is that Bierwiler was a Hernando County Police captain and the victim in Tampa was a homeless woman. That is the claim Morris’ attorney is making saying his client would not have been charged with murder had it not been a law enforcement agent who was killed in the traffic accident.

If you have been charged with a crime in Tampa or have been involved in a serious traffic offense anywhere in the State of Florida, please do not hesitate to contact Tampa Attorney Stephen Higgins, Esq. at 1-800-FIGHT-IT to discuss the matter. Also you can contact Stephen by stopping in our new Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd. or feel free to email him.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is in the midst of a growing controversy about the dangers of cell phone usage while driving. In 2003 a federal agency proposed a study of the risks of using cell phones while driving. They felt multitasking behind the wheel was becoming a growing danger to drivers. The NHTSA never commissioned the study. (read more)

The New York Times requested documents under the Freedom of Information Act about the proposed study and the NHTSA is now saying the study was not conducted because the agency was worried about angering Congress. Clarence Ditlow is the director of the Center of Auto Safety and he is alleging a cover-up of a problem that “could be as bad as drunk driving”. Estimates have the number of fatalities caused by cell phone users on America’s road total nearly 1000 and there have been 240,000 accidents since 2002.

If you have been cited for a traffic violation in Tampa or have been involved in any crime in Hillsborough County, please do not hesitate to contact Tampa Ticket Attorney Stephen Higgins, Esq. at 1-800-FIGHT-IT to discuss the matter. Also you can contact Stephen by stopping in our new Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.

A driver who was headed southbound in the northbound lanes of U.S. 19 and a woman weaving in traffic were both arrested on suspicion of Driving Under the Influence in separate incidents in Hernando County. William Lyons, 30, was pulled over for driving the wrong way on Commercial Way and reportedly posted a blood alcohol level of .188. (read more)

The second arrest involved 28-year-old Michelle Kazakowitz. She was spotted slamming on her brakes and weaving by an off-duty firefighter who called authorities. Deputies found the woman’s car pulled off the road on Deltona Blvd. She was reportedly having trouble keeping her balance. She was arrested despite the fact her breath test returned negative results.

If you have been charged with a DUI Tampa, Hernando or Pinellas County, please do not hesitate to contact Hernando County DUI Lawyer David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourpinellasdui.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact David by stopping in our new Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd or emailing him right here.

Kenneth Stewart, a Lakeland resident, was sentenced to 25 years in prison and 10 years probation for a 2006 accident that killed five people. Stewart pleaded to five counts of DUI manslaughter and was sentenced Friday morning by Hillsborough Circuit Judge Robert Foster. (read more)

The sentencing should conclude a three-year process that began in April of 2006 when Stewart was driving his Dodge Durango around 3:00 a.m. when he collided with a car carrying guests who were in town for a wedding. Stewart apologized to more than a dozen relatives who were in court for the sentencing.

If you have been charged with a DUI in Tampa or Hillsborough County, please do not hesitate to contact Tampa DUI Lawyer David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourtampadui.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact David by stopping in our new Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.

A newly proposed Federal Highway Bill would place ignition interlock devices in the cars of all convicted drunk drivers. The goal is to prohibit past offenders from being able to start their car under the influence. The bill has sparked a debate between the American Beverage Institute and Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

In a series of editorials in the Tampa Tribune the two sides have sparred over the bill and the effects it would have. (read more) MADD takes the interesting approach of arguing the bill and its interlock ignition devices would be a benefit to people convicted of DUI using Florida as an example. Don Murray, Florida’s state director for MADD says that in the State of Florida a first time DUI conviction means a loss of one’s license for six months but under this bill the loss of the license may not be necessary due to the locks on the car’s ignition.

If you have been charged with a DUI in Tampa or Hillsborough County, please do not hesitate to contact Tampa DUI Lawyer David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourtampadui.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact David by stopping in our new Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.

Alian Marshall pleaded not guilty to DUI charges before Hillsborough Circuit Judge Denise Pomponio earlier this week. Marshall was charged with driving under the influence after police said his car struck two women trying to fix their car on Spruce Street in Tampa. (read more)

The accident occurred near the Tampa International Airport and police allege that Marshall drove his Cadillac into the back of a broken down Hyundai forcing the car forward and into the two women who were trying to get the vehicle fixed on the side of the road. Marshall ran from the scene of the accident on foot and then was struck by a car himself. Marshall’s car was registered to an aunt and the insurance on the vehicle ran out 23 minutes before the accident.

If you have been charged with a DUI in Tampa or Hillsborough County, please do not hesitate to contact Tampa DUI Attorney David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourtampadui.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact David by stopping in our new Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.

Former Florida Highway Patrol trooper Chris Maul is claiming to Tampa’s Bay News 9 that he was fired from his job with the FHP due to the fact that he did not write enough traffic tickets. Maul, who patrols the Tampa area, was on a probationary period with the FHP after a six-month leave. Prior to the six-month leave, Maul was on the job for 12 years. (read more)

In May Maul made four DUI arrests and 40 other arrests. His direct supervisor wrote to Maul to “keep up the good work” in his quarterly evaluation. Shortly after that evaluation Maul spoke to an FHP captain and according to the 44-year-old trooper he was told that his “activity was not going to cut it if he wanted to get off probation”. He was terminated in June.

If you have a traffic ticket in Tampa or anywhere in Hillsborough County, please do not hesitate to contact Tampa Ticket Attorney Stephen Higgins, Esq. at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourtampadui.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact Stephen by stopping in our new Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.

A fatal accident that left a pedestrian dead has led to a Palmetto man facing charges of DUI. Richard Kuykendall was driving his 2009 Chevy pickup on U.S. 41 in Bradenton on Sunday with his wife when he struck Sam Estep, a pedestrian. Estep was transported to Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg where he died. (read more)

According to Manatee Sherriff’s Kuykendall told deputies he had consumed three alcoholic beverages prior to the 9:00 p.m. accident. He was then arrested on DUI charges and taken to Manatee County Jail.

If you have been charged with a DUI in Manatee or Sarasota counties, please do not hesitate to contact Sarasota DUI Lawyer Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourdui.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact Darren by stopping in our Sarasota office located at 200 N. Washington Blvd.

A rise in fines for traffic violations is somehow netting Florida cities less money at least that is the claim in Tampa and St. Petersburg. The reason is that a new law is allowing the state’s clerk of courts to withhold a larger portion of the increased fines and fees for their own use. (read more)

With budget cuts and shrinking state dollars available to cities all across the state, there is a real possibility that Florida’s cities could end up suing Florida’s clerks of the court in challenging this new law that went into effect July 1. The loss in revenue under the new law is significant. In St. Pete alone the city received almost $682,000 in ticket revenue last year. The city estimates there will be a six-figure drop in that revenue this fiscal year.

If you have a traffic ticket in Tampa or anywhere in Hillsborough County, please do not hesitate to contact Tampa Ticket Attorney Stephen Higgins, Esq. at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourtampadui.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact Stephen by stopping in our new Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.

A traffic stop in the Groves subdivision in Land O’Lakes early Monday morning ended with Pasco Sergeant Bill McVey in the hospital. Pasco County deputies are looking for the man McVey pulled over who allegedly knocked the sheriff’s sergeant unconscious. (read more)

The sergeant stopped a car at approximately 2:30 a.m. when he suspected the occupants of the car of prowling. McVey recognized one of the people in the car as a Land O’Lakes man that is wanted on outstanding warrants. As McVey tried to arrest him he was hit on the head and knocked out. The suspect and another man ran off into the woods following the assault.

If you have a traffic ticket in Florida that led to felony charges, please do not hesitate to contact Criminal Defense Attorney Stephen Higgins, Esq. at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourtampadui.com to discuss the matter. Also you can contact Stephen by stopping in our new Tampa office located at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd.

A new law in Florida will go into effect January 1, 2010 and it is aimed at the state’s worst drivers. Any motorist that is convicted of three crash-related moving violations in a three-year period will be required by law to take a behind-the-wheel education course and also pass a driving test. (read more)

The new law will start counting violations on January 1 so past incidents will not be factored in. There have already been 3,200 drivers isolated that would be affected by the new law. By the numbers this group is made up of mostly white, male drivers 40 years old or younger.

If you have been cited for a traffic offense in Florida, please do not hesitate to contact Florida Traffic Attorney Stephen Higgins, Esq. at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourticket.com to discuss the matter.

Todd Christopher Naylor was already in jail when new charges surfaced against the Clearwater, Florida native. Naylor, who was arrested and accused of firing a shotgun at motorists in Oldsmar earlier this week, is now being linked to thousands of dollars of stolen airplane parts. (read more)

The trouble began for Naylor earlier this week when he was in a truck that ran three cars off the road. That charge led to the investigation of his airplane parts business and now the Clearwater man faces 12 charges that include grand theft, criminal mischief and aggravated assault.

If you have a traffic ticket in Clearwater that led to felony charges, please do not hesitate to contact Pinellas Ticket Lawyer David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourcase.com to discuss the matter.

Driver’s in Orlando need to be on the lookout today as the Florida Highway Patrol is out in force looking for people with defective vehicles and drivers license violations. The Drivers License and Vehicle Inspection Checkpoints will be located at County Road 561 between Florida’s Turnpike and State Road 25 and at Narcoossee and Kirby Smith Roads. (read more)

The checkpoints set up in Orange and Lake Counties are aimed at cars with worn tires, bad brakes and defective vehicle lights.

If you have a traffic ticket in Orlando, Orange or Lake Counties, please do not hesitate to contact Orlando Ticket Defense Attorney David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourorlandodui.com to discuss the matter.

A Florida woman has been charged with 16 counts following a crash that injured five children inside her Chevrolet SUV. Police suspect that alcohol was the cause behind the crash and charged the Fort Pierce woman with DUI, DUI personal injury, child endangerment, DUI property damage and DUI with a person under 18 in the car among others. (read more)

Fredrina Johnson is alleged to have been behind the wheel of an SUV that hit a curb, stop sign and utility pole at 1:45 a.m. Police called the Florida Highway Patrol to the scene where officers reported Johnson was verball violent and belligerent. The woman apparently admitted to drinking but denied driving. She refused to take a breath test to determine her blood-alcohol level.

If you have been cited for a traffic offense in the State of Florida, please do not hesitate to contact David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourticket.com to discuss the matter.

A debate is raging in a small town outside of Orlando. Groveland, Florida is installing cameras on all the traffic lights in town to catch drivers who run red lights. The problem? There are only five red lights in the whole town and residents are protesting the move as simply a way to generate revenue by writing more traffic tickets. (READ MORE)

American Traffic Solutions would install the free cameras and give the city 70% of the revenue that is raised. Mayor Richard Smith was quoted as saying the company claimed the city could raise six-figures at each intersection where a camera is installed. The mayor was also quoted as saying that the money raised from the cameras could help prevent layoffs and make the streets safer at the same time. The City of Orlando, which also uses cameras at intersections, said it raised $500,000.00 in an eight-month span using the cameras.

If you have been cited for a traffic offense in Orlando, please do not hesitate to contact David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourorlandodui.com to discuss the matter.

If you live in north Tampa and want to pay your traffic tickets in person, you will need to drive a little further on August 1st. The satellite office located at the Floriland Business Center will close July 31 according to Pat Frank, Hillsborough County Clerk of Circuit Court. (READ MORE)

Frank cited budget cuts as the reason for the office closure. Tampa residents can pay their traffic tickets downtown. For residents outside of Tampa, satellite offices are open at the Brandon Regional Service Center, SouthShore Regional Service Center in Ruskin; or at the Plant City Courthouse. Frank also said residents can pay their traffic citations at all locations of Amscot.

If you have been cited for a traffic offense anywhere in the state of Florida, please do not hesitate to contact David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourtickets.com to discuss the matter.

Two Hillsborough County residents where ticketed on the Tampa Causeway while driving at speeds upwards of 100 MPH. The pair had three young children in the car with them. One of the drivers had a two-year old and a 20-month old in the car while the other driver also had a two-year old. (READ MORE)

Virgen Lopez was charged with unlawful racing on a highway, which is a misdemeanor charge. James Maymi was also charged with unlawful racing but also faces charges of not having a driver’s license and operating an unregistered vehicle.

If you have been cited for a traffic offense anywhere in the state of Florida, please do not hesitate to contact David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourtickets.com to discuss the matter.

Derrika King had just graduated from Palm Beach Lakes High School’s law management program and was set to head to Orlando in the fall where she would attend Valencia Community College but as the result of a ride with a drunk driver King will never make it to Orlando. The 17-year old died just 12 days before her 18th birthday when Rashad Brewster jumped a median in his Nissan Maxima and hit a 1995 Toyota head-on resulting in King’s death. (read more)

Police believe Brewster was driving 80 MPH in a 35 MPH zone and when they were called to the scene of the accident they smelled alcohol on the driver’s breath and found a bottle of vodka in the car. Tests later showed Brewster’s blood alcohol level was .107 and .108 above the legal limit of .08 in Florida. Brewster was arrested in Palm Beach on DUI Manslaughter charges.

If you or a loved one has been arrested for a DUI in Orlando or Orange County, please do not hesitate to contact Darren Finebloom at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourorlandodui.com to discuss the matter.

In Sarasota County this year 35 people have already died in traffic crashes. That is an increase of almost 200% compared to the same time period last year. That is why Sarasota sheriff deputies will be out in force at some of the most dangerous intersections and roads. (read more)

This past week a Sarasota resident was killed on an I-75 ramp and another teen critically injured. The sheriff’s department is hoping the extra effort on their behalf will get the point across to drivers on how important it is to be safe on Manatee County roads.

If you have been cited for a traffic offense anywhere in the state of Florida, please do not hesitate to contact David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourtickets.com to discuss the matter.

Respected traffic lawyer David Haenel lent his expertise to an AOL Auto article released July 2nd concerning Florida’s use of aviation law enforcement to monitor speeders, reckless drivers and soon-to-be felons fleeing a police pursuit. The article, written by Craig Howie, relies on Haenel’s experience in the area to provide insight on how lawyers challenge speeding tickets that are based on aircrafts timing drivers through a zone.

Haenel is a defense lawyer based in Sarasota who handles traffic tickets statewide. He was the DUI Prosecutor of the Year in 2004 and has gotten to know many of the FHP pilots through his years as a lawyer. He talks about the use of the stopwatches by the FHP pilots and how critical they are to proving a speeding ticket.

If you would like to personally speak to David Haenel and get his help concerning a traffic offense anywhere in the state of Florida, please do not hesitate to contact him at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourticket.com to discuss the matter.

The first day under Florida's new seat belt law was a boon for the state coffers and a pain for Tampa drivers. The St. Pete Times is reporting Hillsborough County Sheriffs wrote more than 200 tickets to drivers under the new Florida Seat Belt Law that just went into effect Tuesday. (read more) Tuesday’s crackdown was part of Hillsborough County's Operation Belts or El$e. Notice the “s” was replaced with a dollar sign as the tickets range from $90-100 bringing in roughly $20,000 on the first day alone.

Deputies began writing tickets at 7:00 a.m. at State Road 60 and Parsons Avenue in Brandon. In approximately two hours they wrote 86 tickets. They also arrested a woman on charges of driving with a suspended license and giving a false name to deputies. The state fine for the violation is $30 but each county is allowed to tack on court costs or other fees. In Hillsborough and Pinellas, a ticket costs drivers $101. In Pasco and Hernando, the cost is $99.

If you or a loved one has been ticketed for a traffic offense anywhere in the state of Florida, please do not hesitate to contact David Haenel at 1-800-FIGHT-IT or online at fightyourticket.com to discuss the matter.