- New Florida law mandates jail time for going 50 over limit or doing 100 mph.
- First arrest was made just two minutes after the law took effect on July 1.
- Critics argue the law is unfair and question its effectiveness on road safety.
Floridians with a heavy right foot have a new threat on the highways. The officers who once gave out tickets are now taking folks to jail for serious speeding offenses. A new law that went into effect on July 1 imposes harsher penalties to what the state calls ‘super speeders’ – and the first offender was nabbed just two minutes after it went into effect.
As of July 1, those suspected of “dangerous excessive speeding” can go directly to jail. Those convicted face up to 30 days in jail and a fine of $500. The term refers to going 50 mph or more over the speed limit or doing 100 mph anywhere at all. Two minutes after the law took effect, at 12:02 a.m. on July 1, the police made an arrest over it.
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The driver was traveling at 104 mph, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. The video below shows the interaction and how the police explained at the scene that the new law was in effect. Authorities didn’t release any information about who the speeder was, but they did show the person in handcuffs. By the time you’re reading this, officers have no doubt caught more drivers doing triple digits.
They expect a lot of travel this coming weekend too, and with that will come more arrests. “With Central Florida being the number one travel destination for July Fourth, this holiday, we are upping our staffing and ensuring our road ranger team is ready and willing to assist,” said Garrett Popovich, FDOT Road Ranger Manager, to Fox 35 Orlando.
Unsurprisingly, Floridians aren’t huge fans of this law. In direct response to the Sheriff’s post about the arrest citizens said “This is ridiculous overreach by the state,”, “Ridiculous law. there’s plenty of 70mph zones where going 100 is perfectly reasonable when traffic conditions permit,” and “Unless your {sic} a sherif with the lights off then it’s ok.” It’s also worth noting that the Florida Highway Patrol sometimes escorts high-end exotic car rallies that, presumably, do not strictly adhere to speed limits.
Others called out how ineffective the threat of jail has been for offenses that involve drugs, theft, and firearms. At this stage, it’ll be interesting to track speeding events in the state. Over the course of the next year, it should become obvious whether or not this new law makes the roads safer or only the jails fuller.
Credit: WTSP
