In years past, getting a traffic ticket in Miami Dade County was not only a pain because you were going to lose a few extra dollars, but the actual act of paying the ticket was like a punishment in itself. Since 2013, the county has offered payment options through an online mobile portal for traffic tickets received in Miami-Dade. The transaction today takes minutes.
Back in my day
Previously, if you received a subpoena, you had to mail a check or visit the clerk’s office and stand in long lines to make the payment. The hassle of paying a traffic ticket sometimes led to fines not being paid. High fees for late payments and fines were added, and after 90 days late notices were sent to collection agencies, and failure to pay could lead to license suspension. In fact, from 2012 to 2015, non-payment of fees accounted for 77 percent of all license suspensions in Florida.
Going mobile
In 2013, the Miami-Dade Clerk of Courts went mobile. Users can execute various county transactions on mobile devices, including paying parking tickets or code enforcement violations and obtaining certified copies of documents.
Official position on sanctions
According to the Clerk of Courts, failure to keep your appointments within 30 days of the issue date may result in the suspension of your driver’s license and will require the payment of additional fees. Any penalties and costs that remain unpaid for more than 90 days can be referred to a collection agency and an additional 40 percent fee can be added to the amount owed.
Check the status of your ticket
You can check the status of your ticket through the online traffic system using your citation number, driver’s license number, or name and date of birth. It may take approximately three weeks for the appointment to appear in the system. You cannot pay a traffic ticket online or over the phone unless the information is in the system. Whether or not your citation appears in the system, you are still responsible for paying for that ticket within 30 days of the issue date.
Make payment electronically
To pay online, you will need your citation number, driver’s license number, or name and date of birth to locate your citation. Once you find your appointment, you will need to enter your payment information.
When to mail payment
If your traffic citation does not appear in the systems within two weeks, you must mail the payment with a copy of the citation to avoid late fines or visit the clerk’s office to make the payment.
In case of license suspension
If your driver’s license was suspended for failing to comply with a Miami-Dade County traffic citation, once you comply, you can have your driver’s license reinstated at the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles or at any of the Miami-Dade County Clerk’s Offices.
Parking fines
Parking citations are written to a vehicle found to be in violation of a county or state law and, by law, parking violations are the responsibility of the registered owner of the vehicle. You can also pay parking tickets online.
