If you're a resident of Auburndale, Bartow, Lakeland, Lake Wales, or Winter Haven, have a Florida Driver's license, or you received a traffic ticket in Florida, then traffic school may be for you! By electing traffic school you may be able to avoid points on your driver's license, and maintain your clean driving record.

In order to elect traffic school you must go to the Clerk's Office or, if you reside outside of Polk County, contact your local Clerk's Office and you may make your election to attend a defensive driving course by mail. Read the Affidavit carefully. Within thirty (30) calendar days of the date your ticket was issued, complete the affidavit, have your signature notarized and return the affidavit to the Clerk's Office in the envelope provided. Be sure to include a check or money order for the civil penalty and allow sufficient mail time to ensure your affidavit is received in the Clerk's Office with the thirty (30) calendared days required.

After you have completed and paid the costs for the election, contact an approved school to arrange a schedule for the course (you may find a listing a driver improvement courses in your local yellow pages). You must enroll, attend and complete the defensive driving course within ninety (90) calendar days from the date you elected to attend. You will need to be prepared to pay for the course at the time of enrollment.

There are 29 Driver School Course Providers in Florida. Traffic schools are listed in your local telephone directory under "driving instruction" or "traffic schools. To find online you can click here for a list of approved Florida DMV approved traffic schools. The cost of traffic school is around $22 to $44.