To elect traffic school in Florida, notify the clerk of court in the county where you were cited within 30 calendar days of your ticket, pay the civil penalty (which the state reduces by 18 percent when you make the election), and complete a state-approved Basic Driver Improvement course before the deadline the clerk assigns you.1Online Sunshine. Florida Statutes 318.14 – Noncriminal Traffic Infractions; Exception; Penalties Do all three, and the court withholds adjudication, no points hit your license, and your insurer has no new violation to price against you at renewal.
Step 1: Notify the Clerk Within 30 Days
The 30-day clock starts the day the citation was issued, and it is not flexible.1Online Sunshine. Florida Statutes 318.14 – Noncriminal Traffic Infractions; Exception; Penalties If day 31 arrives without an election on file, the option is gone and points will be assessed.
You contact the Clerk of Court in the county where you received the ticket. Most counties give you three ways in: in person at the clerk’s office, by mail, or through the clerk’s online portal. At the time of election, you pay the civil penalty listed on your citation, already reduced by 18 percent because you elected.1Online Sunshine. Florida Statutes 318.14 – Noncriminal Traffic Infractions; Exception; Penalties On a $250 fine, that is $45 off before the course even begins.
Before you leave the counter or close the browser tab, confirm with the clerk that the election was recorded. A processing gap here can cost you the benefit you just paid for.
Step 2: Take an Approved Basic Driver Improvement Course
The course you need is a Basic Driver Improvement (BDI) course. It runs four hours and must be approved by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV). You can check a provider’s approval status on the FLHSMV site before you pay.
Most drivers take it online at their own pace. Classroom options exist if that suits you better. The course fee is separate from what you already paid the clerk, and pricing varies by provider even though the curriculum is standardized.
When you finish, the school issues a completion certificate. Many providers transmit your completion to the clerk electronically, but do not assume yours does. Call the clerk and confirm they received proof of completion. If the clerk never gets it, the system treats you as if you skipped the course.
Step 3: Beat the Clerk’s Completion Deadline
The clerk assigns a deadline for finishing the course, typically 60 to 90 days depending on the county. Your specific date is on the paperwork you received when you elected. Work backward from it.
Miss the deadline and the whole arrangement unravels. The court will adjudicate you guilty of the original violation, points will land on your record, and you may owe additional late fees. In some cases the citation can escalate into a license suspension. There is no mechanism to re-elect once the deadline has passed.
Who Qualifies to Elect
Most non-criminal moving violations are eligible, but the statute draws firm lines.1Online Sunshine. Florida Statutes 318.14 – Noncriminal Traffic Infractions; Exception; Penalties You cannot elect traffic school if your citation involves any of the following:
- Speeding 30 mph or more over the posted limit.
- Driving on a suspended or revoked license.
- License, registration, or proof-of-insurance violations.
- Criminal traffic offenses such as DUI or reckless driving, which require a mandatory court appearance.
There are also frequency limits. You may elect traffic school once every 12 months and no more than eight times in your lifetime.1Online Sunshine. Florida Statutes 318.14 – Noncriminal Traffic Infractions; Exception; Penalties The 12-month clock runs from your last election date, not from your last citation date, so an election 11 months ago still blocks you today.
One boundary catches drivers off guard: if you hold a commercial driver’s license or commercial learner’s permit, you cannot elect traffic school, even if you were driving your personal car on personal time when cited.1Online Sunshine. Florida Statutes 318.14 – Noncriminal Traffic Infractions; Exception; Penalties
What Electing Actually Gets You
Two benefits are written directly into the statute. Adjudication is withheld, meaning the court does not formally convict you of the violation, and with no conviction there are no points assessed against your license.1Online Sunshine. Florida Statutes 318.14 – Noncriminal Traffic Infractions; Exception; Penalties Common moving violations in Florida carry 3 to 6 points, and 12 points within 12 months triggers a 30-day license suspension, so keeping the record clean matters beyond the immediate ticket.
The civil penalty is also cut by 18 percent at the time of election.1Online Sunshine. Florida Statutes 318.14 – Noncriminal Traffic Infractions; Exception; Penalties Drivers often assume electing means paying more. The statute works the other way.
The insurance side is where savings compound. Because no points appear on your driving record, your insurer has no new violation to price against your premium at renewal. A single point-bearing ticket can affect your rate for three to five years depending on the carrier and coverage.
Mistakes That Void the Benefit
Three failures account for most lost elections.
The first is missing the 30-day election window. The citation goes into a glove box, life moves on, and by the time you look at it again the option is gone. Set a reminder the day you receive the ticket.
The second is misjudging the 12-month limit. If you elected 11 months ago and try to elect again, the clerk will reject it and points will attach. Keep your own record of past elections rather than trusting memory.
The third is electing but never confirming the course completion reached the clerk. Provider reporting systems can fail, and some schools send the certificate only to you. Either way, the burden of getting proof to the clerk is yours. Follow up before the deadline, not after.