Legal Question in Traffic Law in Florida

Re: traffic citation

Hello: If you are referrring to a Public Defender, the court will not appoint one in a traffic ticket case. They are only appointed in criminal cases where the crime has a potential punishment of jail time.

As a little free advice, I always advise my clients not to go to trial in a traffic ticket case. We usually go in and plead No Contest and ask the judge to withhold the points. This is a similar result as when one goes to traffic school. This falls under the theory of "pick your fights wisely". In other words, a traffic ticket is not that big of a deal if you get the points withheld. A trial would cost money if you get an atty., it causes unnnecessary worry as you wait for the trial, prepare for the trial, and attend the trial. And there is no guarantee you will win. If you don't win the judge may order more costs than you would have gotten originally. However, if the cop was so ridiculously wrong, it may be necessary to get a trial. Again you have to decide if this fight is worth picking. 'Hope this helps. Tom Rosenblum