Police writing fewer
tickets?
Steve Nichols
ST. PETERSBURG - Errant drivers can thank Florida lawmakers for increasing the odds of getting a break from traffic cops.

The Florida Legislature increased fines last July and again February 1st.

"The legisture is desperate for revenue, and they don't want to raise taxes, so they increase fines," Pinellas Clerk of the Court Ken Burke explains.

But a typical moving violation can now cost $200 and up, and non-moving violations start at $100.

"You pull over the single mom and she's violated the speed limit. I'm not saying that's right, but are we going to hit that poor lady with a $200 ticket?" Sgt. Jack Peterson, president of the union representing Pinellas Sheriff deputies asks.

The answer is increasingly "no."

Deputies wrote 48 percent fewer tickets in January compared to January 2008. The drop in Largo was 31 percent, and it was 27percent in both Clearwater and St. Petersburg.

"I'm glad that we are compassionate as human beings and not hitting people with these types of citations," Sgt. Peterson says.

However, nearly two dozen different governmental agencies and trust funds receive slices of the traffic fine pie. Their revenues are taking a hit.

Traffic officers also caution drivers to not count on getting a break. Previous tickets can affect their decision, as well as the degree of violation. A driver going only a few miles over the speed limit with no priors received a warning. Another man going nearly 20 miles over the limit got a ticket.

 

Ill believe it when I get pulled over.

 

Don't do 20+ over and you'll be fine

 

so they're saying....if im a single mom I'm good to go, but if I'm speeding in my car theyll still hit me with a fine?

 

Didn't think it would take long before the crybabies started. Lets all get together and hate cops, now.

 

^

20 over i would give a ticket to anyone

10 over i can see being ok on a highway or some not 2 busy roads but in a school zone is a no no

a little girl got hit last week by a speeding vehicle the driver was drunk and the girl flew 20+ feet up in the air

thank god she didn't break any bones


you never want 2 see a little girl going 2 school and getting hit by some dumbfuck driving drunk ( to make it worse it was a ricer in a crx which had a D force wing and a fartcan)

i could care less as long as people don't get injured

something like 10 over should still get a warning in the right places

 

i dont hate cops but i think its unfair to raise fines when people are hurting for money.. florida isn't #2 in unemployment by having people with extra money to go around...there is tons of things that piss me off about govt and how they are crooked. As times go on, it just gets worse. shit sucks

 

Wow, not bad. I figured they would be issuing more.

 

That is one optimistic way to look at things

 

lol yeah i know, but you can't make shit into gold. Sometimes things suck. like florida employment rate---> building industry collapse, housing market collapse, credit industry collapse.. wtf is left


crack dealers and mcdonalds, which are almost the same.