The small town of Waldo is known as the speed TRAP capital of the country! Citizens of this small town have been dealing with this controversy for years now. And now, after much wait, their pleads have finally been answered, but at what cost?
On Tuesday night, the Waldo City Council voted 4-1 in favor of disbanding its police department due to insufficient funds and administrative indiscretions. It is safe to say that many local residents were not too fond with the idea of not having any local police coverage or protection.
After police Chief Mike Szabo was suspended last month pending the results of an ongoing investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), five Waldo police officers decided it was time to come clean about what was really going on inside the department. They delivered a presentation to the City Council where they provided evidence and statements that Szabo was forcing them to meet daily traffic ticket quotas (1 ticket per hour), which is illegal under Florida Law.
Waldo police officers, who now find themselves unemployed (but on paid administrative leave for 30 days), brought justice back to the people of this small town and it will never be forgotten.
Waldo is currently under the protection and supervision of the Alachua County Sheriff’s office. The Department is still under ongoing investigations by the FDLE regarding several ethical and legal issues, including possible illegal ticket quota.
Florida handles traffic tickets on a county level and fines vary slightly from county to county, but penalties stay the same. Each time you receive a traffic ticket you could get points on your driving recorded depending on the violation (speed violations resulting in an accident: 6, exceeding the posted speed limit by more than 15 MPH: 4, exceeding the posted speed limit by 15 MPH or less: 3). This could potentially lead to a suspension or revocation of your license depending on how many points you have accumulated. Don’t let this happen to you! Call us today for a free consult. Our attorneys at Finebloom, Haenel & Higgins are more than qualified to handle your case if you decide to fight your ticket.
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