• A payment of a civil penalty, otherwise known as a fine
• The election and completion of an authorized driver improvement course
• A hearing before the Court

• You must make payment to the Clerk of the Court within 30 calendar days of the date the citation or ticket was issued.
• Citations may be paid by cash, check, money order or credit card.
• You may make payment in person, through the mail or by telephone.
• You may verify the correct amount of the civil penalty through the Clerk's Fee Schedule.
• Failure to pay within this time period may result in suspension of your license and an assessment of reinstatement fees, and late fees.

• You may choose this option no more than once every 12 months.
• You must complete and return the notarized Traffic Citation Option Form along with the applicable fees to the Clerk of Court within 30 calendar days from the date the citation or ticket was issued.
• School must be elected and fine paid within 30 calendar days from the date of your citation.
• School must be completed and the certificate of completion returned to the Clerk of Court within 90 days from the date of your citation.
• Failure to attend school timely and return your certificate of completion to the Clerk of Circuit Court Sarasota County will result in points being assessed to your driver's license, additional penalties of $23.00, and possible suspension of your driving privilege.
• You may attend any Driver Improvement course approved by the State of Florida in any county in Florida. For a list of approved driver improvement schools visit the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles website.
• You may receive mail from private Driver Improvement Schools through the mail or you may contact local schools for additional information. You will find them listed in the phone directory under "Traffic School" or "Driving Instruction".

• You must notify the Clerk in writing within 30 days of the date the citation was issued to request a civil hearing be scheduled. You may use the Traffic Citation Option Form.
• You will receive a notice from the Clerk advising you of the date and time of your hearing.
• The law enforcement officer that issued the citation will be present at your hearing, as well as any witnesses listed by the officer.
• You are responsible for making sure any witnesses you want to testify appear at your hearing.
• If the Court finds you committed the offense, you may be ordered to pay a fine and/or attend driver improvement school.

• Vehicle Tag F.S. 320.07(3)(a) and 320.07(3)(b)
• Vehicle Registration F.S. 320.0605(1)
• No Driver's License F.S. 322.03(1)
• Failed to Exhibit or Carry Driver's License F.S. 322.15(1)
• Insurance F.S. 316.646(1)

• You may have the violation dismissed by providing proof of valid disabled parking permit or disabled license plate to the Law Enforcement agency that issued the citation. Law Enforcement will provide you with an Affidavit of Compliance, which must accompany your payment of the $10.00 fee to the Clerk of the Court within 30 days of the date the citation or ticket was issued.
• This option is only available in cases in which your disabled parking permit or disabled license plate was valid at the time the citation or ticket was issued.

Please have traffic citation number and credit card information available.

Note: You can only use credit card by phone if you are paying the fine and not electing traffic school.

Points Assessed

The Clerk of Court’s office cannot give information on the number of points assessed against an individual’s driver history record or how points will affect insurance. Address these concerns to the Bureau of Driver Licenses and/or insurance agent.