9 Things Florida Drivers Can Get Ticketed for That Feel Completely Legal

You’re buckled up, you’re paying attention, and nothing about your drive feels risky.

But in Florida, a few everyday habits can still earn you a ticket.

Here’s what feels fine behind the wheel, and why an officer may see it differently.

Note: This is general information, not legal advice. Traffic rules and penalties are subject to change, so confirm the current requirements with the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

1. Leaving the Engine Running

Leaving your engine running while you dash into a drugstore can get you ticketed.

Under Florida Statutes section 316.1975, you may not leave a vehicle unattended without first stopping the engine, locking the ignition, and removing the key.

Read as written, that covers a car you leave running for the air conditioning.

Remote start gets an exception, as long as your ignition, transmission, and doors are locked.

It’s a narrow exception.

2. Earbuds at the Wheel

Earbuds could get you ticketed while you drive.

Nowhere does section 316.304 mention earbuds.

But the statute bars driving while you wear a headset, headphone, or other listening device.

That wording is broad enough to make wearing earbuds a gamble.

Hearing aids are exempt.

So is a phone headset that plays sound through one ear, as long as you can still hear the sounds around you.

If you take calls while you drive, keep one ear open.

3. Staying in the Left Lane

Staying in the left lane while a faster car closes in behind you can get you ticketed under section 316.081.

That section bars you from staying in the furthermost left-hand lane when you know, or reasonably should know, that a faster vehicle is overtaking you.

Under subsection 316.081(3), what matters is the faster vehicle behind you, not how your speed compares with the posted speed limit.

Check your mirror.

If you’re driving below the normal speed of traffic, subsection (2) says to use the right-hand lane, unless you’re preparing for a left turn.

Both subsections exempt you while you’re overtaking another vehicle.

4. Handheld Phones in School Zones

Holding your phone while you drive through a school zone can get you ticketed, separately from the state’s texting ban.

Section 316.306 bars you from using a wireless communications device “in a handheld manner” in a designated school crossing, school zone, or work zone area.

A work zone counts only when construction personnel are present or operating equipment on the road or immediately next to the work zone area.

The ticket carries 3 points.

For a first offense, you can choose an approved wireless device safety program.

When you finish that program, the clerk of the court may waive the penalty and costs.

The statute requires the points to be waived as well.

5. Not Moving Over for Disabled Cars

Driving past a disabled car without moving over can get you ticketed under Florida’s Move Over law, section 316.126, which covers more than police cars.

The law also reaches sanitation vehicles, utility service vehicles, wreckers displaying amber lights, and road and bridge maintenance or construction vehicles displaying warning lights.

A disabled vehicle qualifies when it shows hazard or warning lights, flares or signage, or one or more people visibly present.

Hazard lights alone are enough.

A Move Over ticket is a moving violation, which is the class that carries points.

If you can’t move over safely, slow to 20 mph below the posted speed limit, or to 5 mph when the limit is 20 or less.

6. Driving Without Headlights in the Rain

Driving in light rain with your headlights off can get you ticketed.

Section 316.217 requires you to display lighted lamps from sunset to sunrise, including the twilight hours.

The same requirement applies during any rain, smoke, or fog.

A ticket for unlit lamps is a moving violation.

It’s easy to forget.

7. Parking Against Traffic

Parking against traffic on an empty two-way street can get you ticketed.

According to section 316.195, you have to park with your right-hand wheels parallel to and within 12 inches of the right-hand curb.

Pull up to the far curb and face the oncoming cars, and your left-hand wheels end up nearest that curb.

Direction matters.

On a one-way street, you can park with your left-hand wheels within 12 inches of the left-hand curb instead.

8. Obscured License Plates

Can a license plate frame get you ticketed?

It can.

Under section 316.605, everything printed on your plate, plus your decal, has to be clear and distinct.

It also has to stay free from defacement, mutilation, grease, and other obscuring matter.

The test is whether your plate stays plainly visible and legible from 100 feet, front or rear.

A frame, a tinted cover, or a layer of dirt that hides those details could count as obscuring matter.

The ticket is a nonmoving violation.

Nothing may go on the face of the plate unless a law or a government agency’s rule permits it.

9. Skipping a License Address Change

Skipping the address change on your driver license after you move can get you ticketed, even if you only move across town.

You have 30 calendar days after changing your legal residence to get a replacement license or card.