Speed Demon Drivers Can Face Criminal Charges This Summer
If you have a need for speed, then this month is the time to get it out of your system. In July, new laws are going into effect in Florida that impose tougher criminal penalties on drivers who vastly exceed the speed limit, even when they are not under the influence of drugs or alcohol and do not cause an accident. This means that if driving from home to Publix in 60 seconds flat is on your bucket list, you have exactly one month to cross that item off your list without risking criminal prosecution. This month’s harmless fun is next month’s dangerous excessive speeding. While most traffic infractions do not go on your criminal record, the most serious ones that do not cause bodily injury are misdemeanors, and traffic crimes that cause bodily injury are felonies, as are repeated offenses of traffic-related misdemeanors. If you are facing criminal charges for dangerous excessive speeding or another traffic offense that endangers other motorists, contact a West Palm Beach license reinstatement lawyer.
HB351 Criminalizes Dangerous Excessive Speeding
In May 2025, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed HB 351 into law. This law defines the criminal offense of “dangerous excessive speeding.” There are two scenarios where someone can get criminal charges for dangerous excessive speeding. One is if you drive at least 50 miles per hour faster than the speed limit. That could mean driving 90 mph in a 40-mph zone, for example, or doing 70 mph in a residential neighborhood where the speed limit is 20 mph. The other way is if you are driving at least 100 mph, even if the speed limit is greater than 50 mph. For example, if you drive 100 mph on a stretch of I-95 where the speed limit is 70 mph, charges of dangerous excessive speeding still apply, even if you only exceeded the speed limit by 30 mph.
If you get convicted of dangerous excessive speeding, the maximum sentence is a $500 fine and 30 days in county jail. If you get a subsequent conviction for dangerous excessive speeding, the maximum sentence is a $1,000 fine and 90 days in jail. If your second dangerous excessive speeding arrest happens within five years of your first, it means an automatic driver’s license suspension, the length of which is up to the discretion of the judge. The duration of the license suspension can be anywhere from 180 days to one year.
Dangerous Excessive Speeding or Something Worse?
Dangerous excessive speeding is not as bad a criminal charge as drunk driving, for example, but you should still take it seriously. It is worth hiring a lawyer to fight your charges if there is reasonable doubt about your guilt or to help you enter a pretrial diversion program if you do not have a prior criminal record.
Contact a West Palm Beach Criminal Defense Lawyer Today
Attorney William Wallshein has more than 41 years of experience, including five years as a prosecutor in Palm Beach County. Contact William Wallshein P.A. in West Palm Beach, Florida to discuss your case.
Source:
flvoicenews.com/florida-drivers-face-new-speeding-law-that-takes-effect-this-summer/
