Speeding has been a longstanding issue on Florida’s highways, but recent data shows how deadly it can be. The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles reported that speeding contributed to roughly 10% of traffic fatalities between 2019 and 2023, with most offenders being young males aged 16 to 25.[i]  The reality is sobering: when someone is flying down the highway at more than 100 miles per hour (“mph”), they are not only risking their own life but also risking the lives of complete strangers who happen to share the road that day. Senator Jason Pizzo, a Miami-Dade Democrat and former prosecutor, put it bluntly: “You can’t drive 50 miles an hour over the speed limit and not think that’s excessive and dangerous.”[ii]

What makes speeding especially problematic is that it can feel deceptively harmless to drivers. Modern vehicles are designed to handle high speeds, making 100 mph feel smooth and controllable. Yet physics remain the same while reaction time shrinks, braking becomes less feasible, and the margin for error disappears. Deterrence here is not just about punishing drivers after the fact but about recalibrating how people perceive speed. For these reasons, the Florida Legislature passed HB 351.[iii]  By declaring certain speeds reckless per se, lawmakers are sending a cultural message: This is no longer a matter of “driving fast,” it is inherently reckless behavior.[iv]

Before the passage of HB 351, Florida statutes did not expressly determine excessive speeding to be a criminal offense.[v]  Under HB 351, drivers caught exceeding the speed limit by 50 mph or traveling over 100 mph often faced civil citations and fines rather than jail time.[vi]   This discrepancy became tragically clear in 2022, when 11-year-old Anthony Reznick was killed by a driver in Sunny Isles Beach who was traveling at 85 mph in a residential area.[vii]  That driver had more than two dozen traffic citations and multiple license suspensions, yet she faced only an eight-year suspension, a $1,000 fine, community service, and was never criminally charged.[viii]  Instances like this exemplify and substantiate the ineffectiveness of prior penalties in effectively deterring reckless driving.

The old system’s flaw is its reliance on money as the primary penalty. For wealthier drivers, fines functioned more like a speeding “tax” than a deterrent. Without mandatory hearings or the risk of losing one’s license, the state lacked tools to instill real fear of consequences. Deterrence requires more than inconvenience; it requires consequences that disrupt everyday life in ways no one wants to risk. This is what HB 351 sought to fix.

On July 1, 2025, HB 351, known as the “Super Speeder Law,” went into effect.[ix]  The bill created the crime of “dangerous excessive speeding,” defined as operating a motor vehicle either 50 mph or more above the posted speed limit or at 100 mph or more in a reckless manner.[x]  Under the new framework, these actions constitute reckless driving per se under section 316.192 of the Florida Statutes.[xi]

Penalties escalate with repeated offenses. A first conviction carries up to 30 days in jail, a $500 fine, or both.[xii]  A second conviction increases to up to 90 days in jail, a $1,000 fine, or both.[xiii] A third offense within five years triggers license revocation for at least six months and up to one year.[xiv]  The statutory text also significantly raises minimum fines: from $25 under the old law to $2,500 for a first reckless driving conviction, $5,000 for a second, and $7,500 plus felony classification for a third violation.[xv]  Additionally, the law also authorizes vehicle impoundment for up to 30 days when an offender is cited under these provisions. Another important change is that any driver exceeding the speed limit by 50 mph or more must appear in court, rather than paying a fine by mail.[xvi]

This multi-layered approach is central to deterrence. The fines make high-speed driving financially painful, the jail sentences introduce fear of incarceration, and the license revocations threaten personal independence. Even the mandatory court appearances create shame and social accountability, forcing drivers to confront their behavior in a public courtroom rather than resolving it anonymously. Each element is designed to strike at different vulnerabilities: money, freedom, and reputation.

In the first two months of the law’s existence, more than 70 drivers were arrested under its provisions. Of those, 49 were clocked at 100 mph or more, while 22 were cited for exceeding the limit by at least 50 mph.[xvii]  Florida Highway Patrol highlighted egregious examples, such as a 20-year-old driving a Dodge Charger at 155 mph and two motorcyclists going 87 mph in a 35-mph zone.[xviii]  In another case, a 25-year-old was caught at 120 mph and told the trooper “he thought the trooper was racing him.”[xix]  In Orange County, deputies arrested Jordan Vactor after clocking him at 140 mph in a 70-mph zone; his excuse was that he was late for work.[xx]

These early enforcement stories illustrate how deeply ingrained risky driving culture has become. Excuses like “late for work” or misinterpreting a trooper’s siren as an invitation to race show that, for some, speed has been trivialized. HB 351 aims to strip away that casual mindset. When word spreads that peers are losing licenses or spending nights in jail, deterrence ceases to be abstract and becomes real. Young drivers, who make up the bulk of offenders, may start thinking twice if stories of steep fines and felony records circulate through communities.

There were even administrative challenges early on. Some deputies reported that they initially could not make arrests because the new charge code was not yet in the system. The first arrests did not occur until mid-July, despite the law passing in April.[xxi]  Even with these hurdles, Florida Highway Patrol admitted it had not expected to see so many arrests so quickly, showing how common extreme speeding is and how aggressively the new law is being enforced.[xxii]

Florida’s HB 351 reflects a decisive response to a public safety crisis. By criminalizing dangerous and excessive speeding, mandating court appearances, increasing fines into the thousands, authorizing jail time, and enabling vehicle impoundment, the law targets the most dangerous drivers head-on. Supporters argue that it will deter reckless driving and save lives, particularly tragedies like the death of Anthony Reznick, which inspired Senator Pizzo’s advocacy.[xxiii]

The broader hope is that HB 351 will shift not just enforcement, but culture. Deterrence is strongest when fear of consequences seeps into everyday decision-making. A driver may hesitate before pressing the accelerator past 100 mph if they know repercussions include losing their license, car, and their freedom. Over time, deterrence also works socially by friends warning friends, families reminding teens, and communities redefining what is “normal” speed. Florida’s law is not just punitive, it is performative, signaling that reckless speed is intolerable. Whether the statistics ultimately show a drop in fatalities will determine its success, but the message is already clear. The state has raised the cost of extreme speed to the point where, ideally, the temptation is no longer worth it.

[i] See Jesse Scheckner, Legislature Passes Jason Pizzo Bill Slamming Brakes on ‘Super Speeders,’ Florida Politics (Apr. 25, 2025, 6:30 PM), https://floridapolitics.com/archives/734285-legislature-passes-jason-pizzo-bill-slamming-brakes-on-super-speeders/ [https://perma.cc/NB6Z-UTW8].

[ii] See id.

[iii] See HB 351, 2025 Leg., Reg. Sess. (Fla. 2025)

[iv] See id.

[v] See Florida’s New Criminal Speeding Law: What Drivers Need to Know, Meltzer & Bell, P.A. (June 3, 2025), https://www.meltzerandbell.com/news/floridas-new-criminal-speeding-law-what-drivers-need-to-know/ [https://perma.cc/2J5U-YSFF].

[vi] See C.A. Bridges, Florida’s New “Super Speeder” Law Imposes Harsher Penalties for Drivers Exceeding Speed Limits by 50 mph or More, or Driving 100 mph or More Recklessly, USA Today Network (July 1, 2025, 9:00 AM), https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2025/07/01/new-florida-speeding-law-adds-stiff-fines-jail-time-dangerous-excessive-speed-hb351/84428227007/ [https://perma.cc/G8LQ-25SK].

[vii] See Scheckner, supra note i.

[viii] See id.

[ix] See James Call, New Florida Speeding Law Adds Stiff Fines, Jail Time for ‘Dangerous Excessive Speed’, Tallahassee Democrat (July 1, 2025, 7:45 AM), https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2025/07/01/new-florida-speeding-law-adds-stiff-fines-jail-time-dangerous-excessive-speed-hb351/84428227007/ [https://perma.cc/9D37-BYLZ].

[x] See HB 351, 2025 Leg., Reg. Sess. (Fla. 2025)

[xi]  See id.

[xii] See Scheckner, supra note i.

[xiii] See Bridges, supra note vi.

[xiv] See HB 351, 2025 Leg., Reg. Sess. (Fla. 2025)

[xv]  See id.

[xvi] See Scheckner, supra note i.

[xvii] See Brian Silvestro, A Lot of People Have Already Gone to Jail Thanks to Florida’s New ‘Super Speeder’ Law, The Autopian (Aug. 25, 2025, 4:55 PM), https://www.theautopian.com/a-lot-of-people-have-already-gone-to-jail-thanks-to-floridas-new-super-speeder-law/ [https://perma.cc/D56K-7FTG].

[xviii] See id.

[xix] See id.

[xx] See 140 in a 70: ‘Super Speeder’ Arrested in Orlando Told Deputy He Was Late for Work, Records Show, ClickOrlando (Aug. 22, 2025, 11:30 AM), https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2025/08/22/140-in-a-70-super-speeder-arrested-in-orlando-told-deputy-he-was-late-for-work-records-show/ [https://perma.cc/UY5Z-VQAJ].

[xxi] See Silvestro, supra note xvii.

[xxii] See id.

[xxiii] See Scheckner, supra note i.