Traffic Citation in Miami?

Question

I am a peruvian and I was in Miami driving a rent car like a tourist. A police put me a traffic citation because I did a bad change in a road. I have never received a letter from Miami to pay the ticket. Today I enter in the miami-dadeclerk web page and I see US200 penalty and I can not pay the ticket because it is in a collection agency. That is incredible!!!

What hapend if I don't pay the citation?
I heard, that in the future I want to go to Miami, I am goint to have probles in the airport. Is it truth?
What hapend with the foreing peaple in this cases?

Thank you very much

Answer 1

As in most any other country, you are expected to pay the fine by the date indicated on the ticket, or request a court date, assuming it isn't required. Nobody sends reminders prior to the due date (though, in some instances, a duplicate ticket might be sent, especially if the ticket required the person to appear before a judge or magistrate, or if the person ticketed was drunk, a minor, etc).

By "Peruvian", I presume you mean that you actually live in Peru. As such, if you do not intend on returning to America, I wouldn't worry about it: no nation is going to hassle you over a speeding ticket, although it's certainly possible that you may receive postal letters about it! However, if you ever do return to the US, you might very well be questioned about it, though, again, it is highly unlikely that you'd be detained or arrested due to it ($200 is not worth anyone's time or effort!). If you are pulled over for another Florida ticket, you will be hassled about it by the cop, but, once again, nothing more of it will be made.

To eliminate this problem, which is clearly eating at your conscience, pay the ticket and any penalties; contact the collection agency to arrange time payments (most will do so interest free, as long as you continue regular payments, but you'll probably have to pay a hefty late penalty, too).

However, if you were supposed to appear before a judge or magistrate, as may have been indicated on the ticket, then a "bench warrant" was probably issued, and you could very well face arrest upon your return to the USA.

You're welcome, and good luck
(and drive more carefully, wherever you live!).

P.S. I presume that by "foreing peaple" you meant "foreigners", to which, hopefully, I have responded.

Answer 2

Miami Dade should tell you the collection agency name, and you need to contact them. Yes, you may or may not have problems traveling in the future.

Contact the collection agency and make payment arrangements with them. When you do pay it, make sure you recieve written confirmation of payment so that if there are problems in the future you can prove it was paid. Good luck.