Florida drivers are getting hit harder than ever. Speeding tickets across the state jumped 29% from 2024 to 2025, according to newly released Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles data. That’s not a gentle climb. That’s a spike. And it’s more than six times higher than the increases we saw the year before.
From 2023 to 2024? Just 4%.
From 2022 to 2023? A 5% bump.
Then suddenly boom, 29%.
Something changed. The question is, what?
Aside from the massive spike in speeding tickets, here are some other trends we will dive into.
- Redlight camera tickets have been down over 25% in the last 10 years
- DUI arrests are up in tourist-heavy areas like Miami and the Florida Keys
- Okaloosa and Osceola Counties saw a very large drop in traffic enforcement
- Tickets issued for improper lane changes are up 40%
- Tickets issued for improperly passing a school bus are up 88%
- Non-vehicle citations to bicycle riders and pedestrians are up 50%
Florida Counties With the Largest Speeding Ticket Increases
A 29% state-wide surge in a single year is not random drift; it signals a systemic shift. In 2025, there were almost 1 million speeding tickets issued in Florida, up from 744,000 in 2024. YIKES.
People did not collectively decide to press the gas pedal harder all at once. Enforcement mechanisms changed. Technology expanded. Policies shifted.
The most noticeable pattern is that counties activating school zone speed camera programs reported the most dramatic increases. Automated enforcement does not get tired. It does not exercise discretion. It does not issue warnings. It captures violations in volume.
This is likely only the beginning. Additional camera programs are expected in 2026. When automated enforcement scales up, citation volume tends to follow. We’re only seeing the first upticks from the “first adopters.”
It’s difficult to isolate exactly how many of these citations came directly from cameras. But the correlation is hard to ignore. Where cameras rolled out, ticket numbers exploded.
Which brings up a fair question: Is this about safety or revenue?
Here is a breakdown of some of the counties with the biggest increases and decreases in 2025.
- Miami-Dade County: +159% (Up to 243,222 from 93,891)
- Lake County: +90% (Up to 20,749 from 10,191)
- Hillsborough County: +78%
- Sarasota County: +61%
- Pinellas County: +42%
- Leon County: +42%
- Lee County: +27%
- Broward County: +24%
Meanwhile, some counties moved in the opposite direction.
- Okaloosa County: -54% (6,656 down to 3,092)
- Osceola County: -29% (19,303 down to 13,650)
- St. Johns County: -18%
- Orange County: -9%
- Duval County: -6%
- Polk County: -6%
Okaloosa’s drop is dramatic, more than half. That’s not seasonal fluctuation or behavioral change; that suggests a real shift in enforcement priorities or resources.
Miami’s massive increase shows what happens when you apply automated traffic enforcement to highly populated areas.
You can almost feel the unevenness across the state. Some areas are ticketing aggressively with aide of camera systems. Others are easing off.
Red Light Camera Tickets Drop 25%
While speeding tickets are climbing, red light camera citations are falling, down 25% from their peak ten years ago.
In 2016, 347,633 tickets were issued from Red Light Cameras. In 2025, 248,996 were issued.
That contrast is fascinating.
Over the years, we’ve seen the impact of local outrage towards red light cameras and lawmakers turning off their camera systems in certain cities. Traffic enforcement isn’t static. It moves, adapts, reallocates.
DUI Arrests Hold Steady — Tampa Area Still Leads the State
Unlike speeding tickets, DUI arrests have remained relatively stable post-COVID. Florida has hovered around 44,000 DUI arrests annually for several years now.
Here’s the recent breakdown:
- 2025: 44,503
- 2024: 44,962
- 2023: 44,185
- 2022: 44,001
- 2021: 43,787
Compare that to the early 2010s when arrests exceeded 50,000 annually. Enforcement patterns clearly shifted after 2014, then dropped sharply in 2020 during lockdowns. Since then, the numbers have stabilized.
But geography tells a different story.
Hillsborough County: Florida’s DUI Capital, Again
For the third year in a row, Hillsborough County tops the state in DUI arrests with 4,382 in 2025.
Right behind it? Pinellas County also holding its #2 position for the third straight year.
The Tampa Bay area remains the undisputed DUI enforcement heavyweight in Florida.
Why Tampa? Dense nightlife. Tourism. Major roadways. Aggressive patrol strategies.
Whatever the mix, the numbers don’t lie.
Miami and the Florida Keys See Rising DUI Numbers
Miami’s DUI arrests are up 27% over the past five years, from 1,886 to 2,403.
Monroe County, better known as the Florida Keys, saw DUIs climb 20% in 2025.
Vacationland may look carefree. Enforcement isn’t.
Tourists often assume relaxed beach vibes mean relaxed patrols. That assumption can be expensive.
Okaloosa & Osceola County: A Dramatic Enforcement Decline
Okaloosa County is sticks out as a clear outlier in 2025 with DUIs down 23%, in addition to its 54% drop in speeding tickets. The total amount of traffic tickets issued in the county is down 41% from 17231 in 2024 to 10222 in 2025.
To a lesser degree, Osceola County is also seeing a downward trend, with 28% less tickets issued in the area.
When both DUI arrests and speeding citations fall sharply, it suggests something deeper than driver behavior.
Resource allocation? Staffing shortages? Local policy shifts?
Whatever the cause, Okaloosa stands apart as the location where traffic enforcement seems to be less of a priority.
Improper Passing School Bus Citations Up 88% in 2025
Another trend we’ve noticed is that citations issued for illegally passing school buses are up significantly across the state. From our analysis, this uptick seems to be completely independent the school bus camera programs implemented in Miami Dade (then repealed) and Hillsborough County (still active.) These are real tickets written by officers.
- 2025: 7175
- 2024: 3814
- 2023: 3048
- 2022: 2952
- 2021: 5345
Bicycle and Pedestrian Citations Jump 51%
This one caught us a bit by surprise.
Tickets issued to bicyclists and pedestrians in Florida increased 51% from 2024 to 2025.
- 2025: 8,583
- 2024: 5,700
- 2023: 6,441
- 2022: 5,989
- 2021: 5,345
The surge in e-bike popularity likely plays a role. Many riders aren’t fully aware of Florida’s traffic laws applying to them. Sidewalk rules, crossing requirements, helmet laws for minors.
Education hasn’t kept pace with adoption.
And citations fill that gap.
Improper Lane Change Citations Up +40% in 5 Years
Another quiet but significant shift: improper lane change citations rose 40% since 2021.
- 2025: 71,526
- 2024: 64,528
- 2023: 59,391
- 2022: 54,532
- 2021: 51,001
Lane violations often feel minor: a quick merge, a tight space, a moment of impatience. But officers increasingly cite them, sometimes using them as pretext stops.
A small maneuver can lead to big consequences.
What This Means for Florida Drivers
The landscape is shifting.
- Speed enforcement is escalating rapidly with increased camera deployments and automation.
- DUI arrests remain steady but concentrated heavily in Tampa Bay.
- Certain counties show massive enforcement increases.
- Others, like Okaloosa, show dramatic declines.
- Minor infractions such as lane changes, bicycle rules are being cited more aggressively.
If you drive in Florida, you are statistically more likely to receive a speeding ticket in 2026 than at any point in recent years.
Traffic Ticket Data Analysis Since 2017
Our team has been publishing traffic ticket data reports for nearly a decade. The goal: keep the public informed about trends in traffic enforcement. Check out past years in our blog.
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The Ticket Clinic Team
We are the largest law firm in the United States to focus soley on traffic-related offenses and traffic tickets. Over +35 years in business, we have developed deep knowledge about traffic court procedure and traffic laws. Our goal is to help keep drivers stay informed about legal issues that could affect them on the road. In our blog content, we like to explore insights in traffic ticket trends and other related issues.
