Civil Traffic Department
To obtain information on a Traffic citation, search our online records.
Approved Traffic Courses by the State of Florida
General Information
All traffic citations issued within Hernando County are processed by the Clerk of Circuit Court’s office, located in the Hernando County Government Center, Judicial Wing, 20 N. Main St. Room 217, Brooksville, FL 34601. Office hours are 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The telephone number is (352) 540-6388.
All criminal traffic citations require a court appearance. If you received a criminal traffic citation, you must appear in County Court on the date and time given to you on your citation to plead to the charges.
If you received a payable infraction citation, you must either pay the citation within thirty (30) days from the date you received the citation or contact the Clerk’s office within thirty (30) days to choose another option.
OPTIONS
Pay the Citation
You can pay in person or by mail. Cash, check or money orders, and credit cards are acceptable. A service fee will be assessed if paying by credit card. If you mail your payment, DO NOT SEND CASH. Pay the amount indicated on your citation and enclose a copy of the citation to ensure proper credit. Please make checks or money orders payable to: Clerk of Court. Points, if applicable, will be assessed. You can pay via the Internet with a credit card with no service fee.
Elect to Attend Driver Improvement School
*Holders of a CDL license cannot elect DDS
*Effective 10/1/06 - Unlawful speed over 30 mph cannot elect DDS - It is a mandatory court appearance
In order to have no points assessed on your license for this citation, you may elect to attend driver improvement school.
This election can only be made once within a twelve-month period and five (5) times within your lifetime or five (5) times within the last ten (10) years (Effective 7/1/08). Within thirty
(30) days of the date you received your citation, you must return a signed affidavit that should have been
handed to you with your citation, (See Forms) along with a fine amount reduced by 18%, if applicable. (See Defensive Driving School
Election Schedule) You will then have ninety (90) days from the date you signed the affidavit to sign up, complete and
provide proof of completion to the Clerk’s office. Failure to provide proof of completion of the driving school will
result in the suspension of your driver’s license. You will then be required to pay the 18% previously deducted and a
$18.00 processing fee and points will be assessed against your license. Even though you did not provide proof of completion
of the class, your election will still count as one of your 5 allowable elections in a lifetime or within the past 10 years. You may email your school completion to: blanchej@co.hernando.fl.us or tammyb@co.hernando.fl.us
You can attend any Florida State-approved course. Check in the yellow pages of your telephone directory under
"Driver Instruction".
Plead Not Guilty - Request a Court Hearing
To plead "Not Guilty" to a charge, you must complete an Affidavit of Defense form (See Forms) available in the Clerk’s office or you may mail a notarized statement saying you wish to plead "Not Guilty", enclosing a copy of your citation. If you are unable to appear in person for the hearing, you must post an appearance bond in the amount of $150 at the time you request the hearing. You will be notified of a court appearance date by mail.
Child Restraint Offender’s Program
If you receive a citation for failure to have your child in a proper restraint, you will be assessed a civil penalty of $139.00 and will receive 3 points on your license. You can elect to attend a Child Restraint Offender’s Program, in which case you will pay a fee of $122.50 and no points will be assessed. In order to make this election, you must present a signed and notarized affidavit to the Clerk’s office, along with the $122.50 fee. You must register and complete the class provided by the Hernando County Health Department and provide proof of completion to the Clerk’s office within ninety (90) days of the date you signed the affidavit. Failure to comply after making this election will result in the suspension of your driver’s license, forfeiture of the $122.50 fee, assessment of 3 points, and you will pay the original fine of $139.00 and suspension fees.
Clerk's Dismissal - Proof of Valid License, Registration, Insurance
If you receive a non-criminal citation for not carrying a valid license, registration or insurance and your license,
registration or insurance was actually valid on the date you received the citation, you can choose to provide that proof
to the Clerk’s office who will dismiss the citation for a $10.00 administrative fee.
If you receive a criminal citation for certain charges relating to valid license, registration or insurance, you may be able
to present a valid or re-instated license, registration or insurance to the Clerk’s office before your scheduled court date,
plead nolo contendre, sign an Affidavit, (See Forms) and receive a withheld adjudication. The fee for this option is
$219.00. This election can be made only once in twelve (12) months and three (3) times in a lifetime.
Improper Equipment
If you receive a citation for improper equipment F.S. 316.610, you will be assessed a civil penalty of $89.00. If however, within 30 days from the date you received the citation, you correct the defect and obtain a signature from a law enforcement agency on the form provided on the back of your citation that the defect has been corrected and provide that proof to the Clerk’s office, you will be assessed a reduced fine of $69.00. The law enforcement agency signing the affidavit will charge you $4.00 for that service.
Points are assessed for the following violations:
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CIVIL PENALTY SCHEDULE
*Effective for Citations Written on or After 7/01/08*
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Defensive Driving School Election Schedule
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Forms
Defensive Driving School Affidavit
Plea of No Contest (Infraction)