TAMPA, FL – A new Florida law taking effect July 1 makes driving without a valid license count toward habitual traffic offender status. StechLaw Criminal Defense is encouraging Florida drivers to understand what House Bill 35 changes before it takes effect.
House Bill 35 adds driving without a valid license to the list of offenses that count toward "habitual traffic offender" status under Florida Statute § 322.264. A driver reaches that status after a set number of qualifying offenses within five years, and the result is a five-year revocation of driving privileges.
Driving on a license that has expired or was never properly renewed is a common offense, and until now it did not count toward that status. Under the new law, it does. Offenses a driver once treated as minor can now move them toward a revocation.
A revocation reaches beyond the five years a person spends off the road. It can take away how someone gets to work, and driving after a revocation is a felony rather than a traffic offense. The new offense also adds to suspensions a driver may face from other cases, including the one that follows a DUI charge. Because these charges build on a person's record, a Tampa traffic violations lawyer can challenge the individual offenses behind a revocation and work to keep a driver below the number that triggers one.
Drivers who already have offenses on their record have the most at stake, and an open case is best resolved before July 1.
