School Zones

If you’re like most American drivers, you’ve spent the last few months driving around town, passing grocery stores, gas stations and schools without changing your speed.

The school zones that exist during the year aren’t important in the middle of July but come early August, you will want to start paying much closer attention to the beginning and end of those special zones.

The first several days of the new school year also mean an increase in traffic in and around your local schools. To keep everyone safe, please drive more slowly in designated school zones, and stop for school buses when they are loading and unloading.

Fines are doubled
Beyond keeping kids safe, school zones are often regularly monitored by local law enforcement. The fines you pay for speeding in a school zone in Florida are doubled. The fine schedule, per statute, is:
• 1 mph to 9 mph over the limit: $50.
• 10 to 14 mph over: $200.
• 15 to 19 mph over: $300.
• 20 to 29 mph over: $350.
• 30 to 49 mph over: up to $500 on a first offense, plus you could be subject to license suspension and a mandatory court appearance (even if this is not in a school zone).
• 50 mph or more above the limit: $2,000 on a first offense, plus you could be subject to license suspension and a mandatory court appearance (even if this is not in a school zone).

Speeding in a school zone counts 3 points against your license, unless you are driving 30 mph or more over the speed limit, in which case it counts as 4 points against your license. Also, you will not get a warning for a school zone violation in Florida, even if you are only going 1 mph over the limit.

School zones are defined by state statute
A 2022, Florida State Statute set the specifications that a school zone speed limit “may not be less than 15 miles per hour except by local regulation. No school zone speed limit shall be more than 20 miles per hour in an urbanized area.” The stature continues to add, “Such speed limit may be in force only during those times 30 minutes before, during, and 30 minutes after the periods of time when pupils are arriving at a regularly scheduled breakfast program or a regularly scheduled school session and leaving a regularly scheduled school session.”

School zones in Florida also must have permanent signs designating school zones and school zone speed limits and flashing beacons may be used as an alternative to posting the times during which the restrictive school speed limit is enforced.

Play it safe!
Put the cell phone down and pay attention while driving. Limit distractions in your vehicle and watch for school speed zones, stopped school busses and school cross walks. Save yourself time and money and obey the laws around the schools and school busses.

We’re here to help
If you or a loved one finds themselves behind bars and facing charges of speeding in a school zone, driving with a suspended license, DUI, BUI, reckless driving, or any other charge, please call us at 407-841-3646 to start the bail bond process.

We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days of the year. An experienced and knowledgeable bail bond agent is readily available to assist you. Being arrested and in jail can be an unnerving experience. Don’t go it alone. Rely on our bail bond agents to walk you through the bail bond process. All of our bail bond agents can assist you with paperwork, and answer questions that you may have about the criminal justice system. We have been serving Central Florida since 1979. Rely on our experience and knowledge to help you through this trying time.

We serve all of Central Florida including Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Lake, Volusia, and Brevard counties. Your neighbors have relied on us, you can too. Please call us at 407-841-3646 to start the bail bond process.