Passing Through Lawtey, Stark and Waldo Unscathed

The last time we drove through Florida we ended up with a big fat speeding ticket in Lawtey, which we now know is known for its speed trap. I reported this nuisance to both Senate and House of Representative congressional staff upon our return to DC. I never heard from any of them, but did hear from the state senate and congressional staff about this known problem. So as we passed through this section of Florida between Jacksonville and Gainesville on highway 301, we were extra cautious. Bradford county is no friend to us and we were happy to leave it unscathed. It was amazing how everyone driving around there seemed to know about it because they all must have at one time received a speeding ticket too. Everyone was driving at or well below the speed limit. We had driven that way many times before and never had a problem. But now we just can't forget it. Beware: use caution when driving around this part of Florida. You'll thank us for it if you do! 

Another Lawtey Response From Rep Van Zant

When we visited my mom in September  in Florida, we passed through Lawtey, a speed trap, and were stopped for a speeding ticket. Surprise! We didn't know it was a speedtrap until that incident happened. We have driven that way many times before. We accepted the ticket graciously but took issue with the comment made by the officer about our DC license plate, and if we were elected officials. Would that mean he would have done something different? Anyway, when we returned home I registered in person complaints with Florida senators Rubio, Nelson, and Rep Yoho and requested a written or phone response about the known speedtrap and officer comment. I also sent email complaints to Florida Senator Bradley and Rep Van Zant. Yesterday we received in the mail on official stationery a response from Florida rep Charles Van Zant. He was the second official to reply following Mr. Bradley's email from last week. I'm just happy to say at least someone responded to our concern - the state officials. I was wondering who would answer first, if at all. Why am I not surprised we didn't hear from anyone in Washington? I'm sure it's just not that important. 

Lawtey Florida Speed Trap and State Senator Rob Bradley

Last month when we were traveling in Florida, we found ourselves in a well known speed trap in Lawtey on highway 301. It became well known to us only after we got a whopping ticket and the officer who stopped us asked if we were a senator or anything when he noticed our DC license plates. We admitted we were in the wrong, but when I got back home to DC I visited the offices of Forida Representative Yoho, Senators Rubio and Nelson to voice a complaint about this known sped trap and the comment that was made by the office, and wrote letters to state Senator Bradley and Representative Van Zant expressing the same sentiment. In both the personal visits and in the letter, I told them I expected a response. Then we waited to see who would answer first - if at all. Our friends just so happened to be traveling that same route a few days ago and sent us a photo of the billboard that we saw, but the word "trap" was covered over by a Halloween event - but it wasn't fooling anyone! Last week we received our first and perhaps only email response from the state senator's office. The legislative assistant described the background and acknowledged there was indeed an issue regarding the speed traps not only in Lawtey but in two other towns nearby. No mention was made about the comment. It just goes to show you that the house and senate offices in DC aren't really interested in issues like this - I'm certain they are too busy dealing with much more important matters. I appreciate that Senator Bradley's office responded and acknowledged the problem. As for the double standard of who does and who doesn't get tickets? 

Lawtey Florida and Senators Rubio & Nelson, Rep Yoho, state rep Van Zant & State Senator Bradley

While on a roadtrip to Florida last week, we were on highway 301 passing through Bradford County. We ended up with a traffic ticket in a well known speedtrap in Lawtey. If that wasn't bad enough, after handing us the citation,  the police officer noted we were from DC and asked us - "you're not a senator or anything - are you?" Upon returning to DC I decided to inform Florida local and national elected officials about two issues: a speedtrap (which by the way the Internet is full of stories about it along with the neighboring city of Hampton that was cited for corruption for this very thing) and if there are different outcomes for elected officials. I was embarrassed and outraged by both of these practices. So I walked over to Florida Rep Yoho's office in the Cannon building, and after work made my way to Senator Rubio and Nelson's offices in the Russell and Hart office buildings on Capitol Hill. The same story was told, I left my personal contact information, and requested an investigation in to the matter to help us understand why these practices are tolerated. When I returned home I also wrote follow up emails to both Senators, and sent the same letter to state Rep Van Zant and state Senator Bradley. Now let's see who responds to this query first. Tomorrow I'll tell you which office staff on Capitol Hill was most and least impressive. 

Lawtey Florida Speed Trap

We really like driving. And as long as we can we will continue to take short trips to places our relatives and friends live. One of those places is Florida. We've driven through it many, many times. I noticed a billboard that said "speed trap" near a small town called Lawtey. And wouldn't you know it - the siren went on and we were stopped. So we pulled over and the officer came out and asked for our registration and license. He noticed we were from DC and said something about "are you a senator?" Then I looked the town up on the internet and saw several comments about this place - 700 population and the speed trap issue. When I get back to DC I am planning to visit the house member responsible for this district and also a senator. It's been over twenty years since we've been in this situation, but this time just didn't sound right to us. Now we are out $240 and our day was ruined. It won't stop us from taking road trips. It was a reminder to be careful, but there was something very fishy about it.