NMA Speed Trap Spotlight: Florida

Florida speedtrap spotlight image

Florida is home to two of the most notorious speed trap towns in the country, Waldo and Lawtey. Waldo, however, was recently put out of business after the town council voted to disband the police department over allegations of ticket quotas and other improprieties. Still, snowbirds migrating south this winter should keep an eye out for aggressive speed enforcement throughout the Sunshine State.

This information comes from the NMA’s National Speed Trap Exchange (http://www.speedtrap.org/), a unique website that gives drivers an opportunity to report on and exchange comments about predatory speed traps they have encountered on their travels.

Five Highest Activity Speed Trap Locations

1.     Orange Park:        Oakleaf Village Pkwy @ Silverbluff Blvd

326 Reports           99% Acknowledgement Rate*

“The Speed trap is up almost daily. Clay County Deputies sit at the entrance of Silver Bluff clocking cars traveling onto Oakleaf Plantation on Oakleaf Village Pkwy. The Speed Limit is 35 mph yet the police cars are the worse violators of speed in the area. I was just passed this evening by a deputy at 60 in the posted 35. Please enter with care.”

2.     Lawtey:                301 going through Lawtey

163 Reports           98% Acknowledgement Rate

“I live only 20 miles away from Lawtey, and used to have the misfortune of working at Lawtey Correctional Institution. The cops in Lawtey are among the sneakiest in the nation. When travelling through Lawtey, if you do 45 mph (the posted speed limit), you’re probably ok. If you do 46 MPH, pull out your wallet. I used to see the sneaks hiding by the school (beside a fire hydrant), and see a female cop hiding by the gas pumps at one of the service stations there.”

3.     Altamonte Springs: Central Parkway between Douglas and Montgomery

104 Reports       96% Acknowledgement Rate

“They hide behind the bushes and jump out in the street and take you down Laurel St to give out tickets.”

4.     Orlando:               L. B. Mcleod

68 Reports             97% Acknowledgement Rate

“They stand in the middle of L.B. Mcleod, most of time 1cop, motorcycle cops, sometime a whole crew 3 or more, pulling over and writing tickets early morning, but they come at different times, so you really can’t pin point a time frame. I live in the area and they are there at different times of the day, mostly in front of Senior’s First, and across from Waste Management.”

5.     New Port Richey: Trinity Blvd.

65 Reports             98% Acknowledgement Rate

“Lately instead of sitting on the median, there has been a dark grey Charger sitting on the south side of the road, taking radar on the eastbound traffic, in the 45 zone, just before it goes to 55. Heads up.”

Ten Florida Cities with Most Reported Speed Traps (for the Last Five Years)

RankCityNumber of Speed TrapsAcknowledgement Rate
1Jacksonville5699%
2Orlando4697%
3St. Petersburg4391%
4Tampa3689%
5Sarasota3092%
6Boca Raton2480%
7Fort Myers2484%
8Miami2186%
9Lakeland1985%
10Clearwater1982%

* Acknowledgement rate is the percentage of yes votes to total votes by motorists indicating whether the reported locations, in their opinions, are actually speed traps. Data are available at the links provided.

About The National Speed Trap Exchange

With the development of The National Speed Trap Exchange (http://www.speedtrap.org/) more than 10 years ago, the National Motorists Association pioneered the use of interactive media to alert motorists to potential speed trap activity in their communities. Since then the site has reported on nearly 80,000 speed traps throughout the United States and Canada.

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