Traffic FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions About Traffic Citations

My nephew from South Carolina recently got a speeding ticket in Wauchula. He has lost the ticket and doesn't know how to take care of it.

It is always distressing to get a traffic ticket when traveling, but the Clerk of Court’s office can help. When a ticket is issued, a copy is sent to the Clerk within several days. Please have your nephew call the Clerk of Court’s office in Hardee County. The Traffic Division can tell him the amount, the method of payment, and how quickly it must be paid to prevent him from incurring further penalties. It is important to pay out-of-state tickets, as they will show up on your driver license record.

I ran a stop sign the other day and went to pay the ticket at the Clerk's office. I was curious about where traffic ticket money ends up.

The money from traffic infractions is used in a variety of ways. The majority of the dollars and cents stay in the city or county where the ticket is written. The rest of the fine money is distributed to the state for general revenue and a variety of state trust funds and programs, such as: Emergency Medical Services, Brain and Spinal Cord Rehabilitation, Florida Endowment, Child Welfare Training, Juvenile Justice, foster care citizen review panels, Non-game Wildlife studies and state criminal justice programs. The Clerk of Court only retains a half of one percent. The percentage of money received from traffic tickets to be applied to each of the various funds is established by the Legislature, and it is the statutory responsibility of the Clerk of Court to see that the monies are properly distributed.

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