If you are issued a traffic ticket on federal property, such as at Kennedy Space Center, Patrick Air Force base or Ocala National Forest, you will have to go to federal court if you wish to fight the ticket. In some cases, you will have to appear in federal court even if you don’t want to fight the ticket. That is because federal traffic matters are often not infractions that one might receive on state roadways, but many federal traffic citations are “petty offenses,” for which an offender could serve up to 6 months in jail.
In the past, I have represented clients in federal court on offenses ranging from speeding to reckless/careless driving. These offenses differ from state violations in that no matter what happens, no “points” can be placed on your license. The reason being, the State of Florida issues your drivers license and in essence controls your driving privilege. The federal system cannot place points on your license no matter what. However, the fines and court costs greatly differ in that the federal fines and costs are significantly higher. Also, the penalties for going to “trial” are different as well. It is safe to say that one will not go to jail for contesting your speeding ticket in state court, but, do that in the federal district, and you may be spending time in jail, or paying in upwards of $1,000.00 in fines.
If you receive one of these federal infractions, please contact our office. Not every attorney can contest these infractions for you. Your attorney MUST be admitted into the appropriate federal district (Mr. Jackson and Mr. Atcachunas are admitted into the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida). We have worked with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and successfully negotiated deals where some “petty offenses” have been dismissed, and some where fines have been cut by 50%. If you want to fight your ticket to “trial” we will not hesitate to do so.
-Christopher Atcachunas, Esquire
