How to Pay a Florida Traffic Ticket Online

Paying Your Citation

Visit the website of your county clerk of court. Online payments are processed by the clerk of court in the county where you were issued the ticket. The name of the county will be listed on your ticket, along with instructions on how to pay. A list of counties with links to each clerk's website is available at https://www.floridasafetycouncil.org/home/clerksofcourt.

Click through to the payment portal. Once on the clerk's website, look for a tab or link to pay a traffic ticket or civil citation. There typically will be information about online payments for you to read through. Use this information to make sure you are eligible to pay online and that you have the information you need before you proceed.

Enter your citation number. To pay a traffic ticket online, you must enter the citation number found on your ticket. If you've lost the ticket and don't know your citation number, you can search by your driver's license number. It can take a week to 10 days for citations to show up in the clerk's system. If you search your citation number and get no results, try again in a few days. Keep in mind you still only have 30 days from the date on the citation to make online payments.

Provide your payment information. You may pay traffic tickets online using a credit or debit card (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express). If you use a debit card, it will be processed as a credit card payment. Florida partners with a third-party company to process credit card payments. You must pay a fee of a few dollars, which goes to the processing company.

Print your receipt. Once your payment information is validated, you'll receive a confirmation that your ticket has been paid. You can print this form or have it emailed to you. Keep it for your records, especially if you are nearing the 30-day deadline. Your payment should clear your account in 2 or 3 days. If a week passes and your payment still hasn't cleared your account, contact the clerk's office.

Provide proof of compliance if required. Some tickets, such as failure to carry license, registration, or valid insurance, require you to present proof to the clerk's office. This proof cannot be submitted online. For example, suppose you got a ticket for failure to carry a valid license. You had a valid license at the time, you just left your wallet at home by accident. You would need to take your license to the clerk's office. Take your proof to the clerk's office in person within 30 days of the date your citation was issued. Bring with you your receipt for your online payment as well.

Electing Driver Improvement School

Confirm your eligibility. If you successfully complete a Driver Improvement course, you won't get any points on your license for your ticket. Generally, you can take a Driver Improvement course as long as you haven't taken one in the last 12 months. You're also only allowed to take the course 5 times during your lifetime. Driver improvement courses are also unavailable for drivers with commercial licenses. If you're unsure when you last attended Driver Improvement School, you can check online with the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles at https://services.flhsmv.gov/DLCheck/.

Pay your citation in full. If you want to go to traffic school, you still must pay the full amount of your ticket. You can pay online using a credit or debit card. When you enter your payment information, select the option to attend traffic school. Print your confirmation as proof of payment. You may need to show this when you take your course, or when you submit your completion certificate to the clerk's office.

Find a course provider. You must use a school that is approved by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to take your course. The department has a list of approved course providers on its website. Visit https://www.flhsmv.gov/driver-licenses-id-cards/education-courses/driver-improvement-schools/basic-driver-improvement-bdi-find-approved-listing-bdi-course-providers/ to learn more about the driver improvement option and find a school that will work for you. Many of the schools offer online course options. A basic online course to get points dismissed is typically around $25 or less. Expect to pay a little more if you want a live course in a classroom.

Attend your course. Once you decide to attend traffic school, you only have 60 days to complete the course and submit your certification to the clerk's office. Especially if you've chosen an online course, there's no reason you can't get it done as soon as possible. The course is designed to be 4 hours long. With some online courses, you may have the ability to take it on your own time rather than doing all 4 hours at once. However, you won't get your certificate until you've satisfactorily completed the entire course.

Submit your completion certificate to the clerk's office. When you complete your course, the school will provide you with a certificate of completion. In some counties you may be able to submit this certificate online. If you can't submit your certificate online, go to the clerk's office in person. Take your payment receipt with you. Make sure you submit your certificate within 60 days of the day you paid your ticket. The ticket will be listed on your driving record as "adjudication withheld," and no points will be assessed.