Verified as of 2026-10-23 against FLHSMV

Florida · Traffic School

Electing Florida Traffic School (BDI) After a Ticket

This page is for a driver who has just been handed a civil moving ticket in Florida and is deciding what to do in the next 30 days. For most people the smart answer is a 4-hour Basic Driver Improvement (BDI) course, elected instead of a court fight. You notify the clerk within 30 days, pay a civil penalty that has been cut by 18 percent, and complete the course by the clerk's date. Adjudication is then withheld and the ticket adds no points. The limits are one election per 12 months and 8 over a lifetime, and CDL and CLP holders cannot elect.

Time to elect: 30 days from the date of the ticket
Penalty discount: 18 percent
Points added once completed: None
How often: Once a year, 8 in a lifetime
The course: 4-hour BDI, online or in a classroom
Commercial license or permit holders: Not eligible
State assessment fee: $2.50 per student

Step by step

Look at what you were charged with
School is only for a noncriminal infraction, and not one written in a commercial vehicle. Criminal charges like DUI or reckless driving is handled by the court, and electing school is not an option.
Reach the clerk before day 30
Phone, visit or go online with the clerk of court for the county on your ticket. Say the words driver improvement school, then pay the lowered penalty and any clerk fees inside the 30 days.
Sign up with an approved BDI school
Choose from FLHSMV's approved BDI list. An online course is fine when the school is approved to teach statewide.
Complete it before the clerk's date
Sixty days from the election is common, but your county may differ, so ask. Finishing late still burns the election and brings points and fees.
Make sure the court has your proof
Schools notify FLHSMV within roughly 1 to 3 days, but the court keeps its own file. Call the clerk and check that both your payment and your completion show up.

First, understand what you are buying

When an eligible driver chooses BDI instead of going to court, section 318.14(9) requires three things. The court withholds adjudication. The civil penalty set by section 318.18(3) goes down 18 percent. And the ticket scores zero. A later subsection, 318.14(11), makes clear that withholding adjudication is not the same as a conviction.

What it does not do is make the ticket disappear. The citation stays in the court file, and your FLHSMV driving history lists it with a note that school took care of it. If a court ordered community service under section 318.18(8), the election does not cancel that.

Example: you are stopped in Jacksonville for an illegal lane change, a 3-point offense, and you have not elected school in the past year. Electing BDI and finishing on time keeps those 3 points off, saves 18 percent on the penalty, and uses one of your 8 lifetime elections.

Before you call the clerk: are you shut out?

The statute bars every CDL holder and every commercial learner's permit holder, even when the ticket came in a family car. It also names offenses that can never go to school. Speeding at 30 mph or more above the limit is one; certain registration offenses and license possession offenses are others.

Clerks layer on their own guidance. On the St. Johns County election form, for instance, a crash where someone was seriously injured or killed makes the ticket ineligible. And if you elected within the last 12 months, or your 8 lifetime elections are spent, the door is closed.

Anyone with a CDL or CLP, whatever the vehicle
Speeds 30 mph or more above the limit
Any criminal traffic charge
Drivers who elected in the past 12 months
Drivers with all 8 lifetime elections used

Weighing your other options in the 30 days

Section 318.14(4) gives you four ways to respond within 30 days of the ticket: pay the full civil penalty, ask the clerk for a payment plan, elect school, or request a hearing. Paying without school is treated as admitting the infraction, and the points follow.

Some equipment and paperwork tickets have a fix-it path instead. Under section 318.14(10), a driver without a CDL can answer no contest to a listed offense and bring the clerk evidence the problem was corrected, and adjudication is withheld. That route is limited to 3 uses in a lifetime and not twice within 12 months. If you choose a hearing and the official finds you committed the infraction, most infractions can carry a civil penalty of up to $500.

Taking the course

BDI runs 4 hours, is approved by FLHSMV, and covers Florida traffic law, defensive driving and avoiding crashes. Section 318.1451 allows technology-delivered versions from schools approved for statewide delivery, which is why most people do it online. Expect a $2.50 state assessment fee added to whatever the school charges.

FLHSMV will not accept a paper certificate for any licensing purpose, though a court may still ask for proof. When the course was a judge's order, FLHSMV puts it on you to notify the court and supply whatever documentation it requires.

If you miss the payment or the completion date

FLHSMV spells out both failures. Leave the fine and fees unpaid past 30 days and a nonpayment suspension follows. Miss the court's deadline to finish and it is suspended for failing to attend. Either way, the election still counts against your limits.

St. Johns County puts numbers on it: finish late and the clerk enters adjudication and points, then bills you for the 18 percent you saved, adds $23 as a late charge and $18 for service. Each county picks its own figures, so ask yours.

If you live in another state, or BDI is not available to you

The election statute does not tie you to a Florida classroom, so an out-of-state visitor can do an approved online BDI from their own kitchen table. Whether the Florida ticket then lands on your home-state record is for that state's licensing agency to decide.

Ineligible for BDI? Check the alternatives before paying. A first ticket for holding a phone in a school or work zone can be handled through the wireless device program in section 316.306, which waives the points. Equipment and paperwork tickets may be closed out by showing they were fixed. If neither applies, you are choosing between paying with points and asking for a hearing.

Florida defensive driving: common questions

Is my ticket dismissed if I go to traffic school?

Not erased. The court withholds adjudication, you get no points and the fine falls 18 percent. Under section 318.14(11) a withheld adjudication does not count as a conviction.

How many times am I allowed to elect?

One election per 12 months, and 8 in total over your life. It used to be 5, so an older article may give the wrong number.

How much time do I get to finish?

Elect within 30 days of the ticket. The clerk then sets a finish date, often about two months after you elect; ask for the exact one.

Can I take BDI on my laptop?

Yes, through a school FLHSMV has approved for statewide online delivery. Look it up on the approved BDI list before you pay.

I drive trucks for work. Can I elect for a ticket in my own car?

No. A CDL or CLP rules out BDI no matter which vehicle you were in.

I was clocked 32 mph over. Can I use school?

No. Thirty or more over the limit is excluded from BDI. Your choices are paying and taking the points, or contesting it at a hearing.

Does community service go away if I elect school?

No. Electing school leaves any community service imposed under section 318.18(8) in place.

Traffic School in another state

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Sources

Rules change. If a source above says something different from this page, the source is right. Last checked 2026-10-23.

Step by step

Look at what you were charged with

Reach the clerk before day 30

Sign up with an approved BDI school

Complete it before the clerk's date

Make sure the court has your proof