How to Elect Florida Traffic School — in three moves.
To elect Florida traffic school, tell your Clerk of Court within 30 days of the citation. Pay the civil penalty and election fee. Then finish an FLHSMV-approved course by the date on your paperwork. In that order, the points never reach your record. The part people miss: the election happens at the clerk, not at a traffic school. Buying a course elects nothing.
- Electing may cut your civil penalty up to 18% (set by state law, applied by your clerk).
- We file your completion with FLHSMV, and the state passes it to your court. Keep your certificate in case your county asks for it.
- Not sure you qualify? Four eligibility checks decide it — see them first.
The clock starts at the citation
How do you elect traffic school in Florida, and who does what?
- You Tell your Clerk of Court you are electing The clerk named on your citation. Counties take the election online, by mail or at the counter — your citation says which. Buying a course elects nothing. Within 30 days
- Your Clerk of Court The clerk takes the election and the money You pay the civil penalty and the county election fee to the court, never to a school. Electing may cut the civil penalty by up to 18%. State law sets that cut (F.S. 318.14(9)), and the clerk applies it. At the same time
- You Take the 4-hour BDI course online FLHSMV-approved, at your pace, by the date printed on your election paperwork. Start and stop as often as you like. 4 hours, any pace
- Highway Traffic School + FLHSMV We file your completion with FLHSMV Electronically, usually the moment you pass. Keep your certificate in case your county asks to see it. Usually the moment you finish
- Highway Traffic School + FLHSMV FLHSMV passes it to your court The state notifies the court that ordered or accepted the election. That normally reaches them within 24–48 hours. 24–48 hours
- Your Clerk of Court The court closes it out under its own rules Your county applies the election to the citation. The clerk is the one who confirms it is done. After the filing
Do you elect online, by mail, or at the counter?
Florida has 67 county clerks and they do not all take the election the same way. These are the three routes. Which ones your county offers is printed on your citation — that is the only document that answers it for you. Not sure which clerk is yours? Find your county’s Clerk of Court. Once you have elected, the 4-hour BDI course is the next move.
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Online
Many Florida clerks take the election through their own website — look for “elect traffic school” or “driver improvement” on your county clerk’s site. Fastest when your county offers it.
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By mail
Some counties accept a signed election form with your payment. Mail is the slowest of the three, and the 30-day clock does not pause for the post.
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At the counter
Every clerk takes it in person. If the deadline is close, or your citation is unclear, this is the option that gets an answer the same day.
That’s a different track. A judge’s order isn’t an election. Points may still apply, and you’ll submit your certificate to the court yourself — here is how the certificate works. Your citation says which you are.
Electing, Answered
Electing traffic school in Florida: FAQ
How do I elect traffic school in Florida?
Three moves, in order. Tell the Clerk of Court on your citation that you are electing traffic school. Do it within 30 days of the ticket. Pay the civil penalty and any election fee the county charges. Then finish an FLHSMV-approved Basic Driver Improvement course by the deadline on your election paperwork. We file your completion with FLHSMV electronically. The state notifies your court, normally within 24–48 hours.
How does Florida BDI work, start to finish?
BDI — Basic Driver Improvement — is the course behind all of this. The whole path is simple. Get the ticket. Elect with your Clerk of Court within 30 days. Pay the civil penalty and election fee. Finish the 4-hour FLHSMV-approved course online. We file your completion with FLHSMV electronically. The state notifies your court, normally within 24–48 hours. The court then withholds adjudication — no conviction is entered — and no points go on your license. The course is self-paced on any device.
Do I elect with the clerk or with the traffic school?
The clerk — always. The election is a legal choice you register with your county Clerk of Court. The course is just how you follow through. Buying a course doesn't elect anything, and no school can elect for you. If you only remember one thing from this page: clerk first, course second.
How do I actually contact the clerk?
Start with your citation. The clerk's office and contact information are on it. Most counties describe your response options right there. Counties differ in how they take the election — online, by mail, by phone, or at the counter. So the citation and the clerk's own website are the official instructions for your county.
How long do I have to decide?
30 days from the citation to notify the clerk that you're electing. It's the single most-missed step in Florida traffic school. Not failing the course — just deciding late. Inside the window and leaning yes? Make the call before anything else.
What does electing cost?
You still pay your ticket: the civil penalty, plus any election fee your county charges. That money goes to the court, not to us. One genuine upside — electing an approved course may reduce the civil penalty by up to 18%. State law sets that cut, and your clerk applies it. The course itself is separate. Ours is $24.95, all-inclusive.
How long do I get to finish the course after electing?
Your county sets the completion deadline when you elect. It's on your election paperwork — the clerk's number, not ours. The course itself is 4 hours, self-paced. So the deadline is rarely the hard part once you've started. Calendar it the day you elect anyway.
Should I elect, or fight the ticket?
That's genuinely your call, and we won't pretend otherwise. Electing spends one of your limited elections — once per 12 months, 8 in a lifetime. It costs the penalty plus a course. In exchange you get certainty: adjudication withheld, no points assessed. Contesting risks a worse outcome for a chance at a better one. If the ticket is defensible, some drivers talk to an attorney first. The 30-day clock runs either way.
Told the clerk? Then the hard part’s done.
Four self-paced hours, $24.95 all-inclusive, and your court finds out automatically.