ORLANDO, Fla. — For more than a month, Channel 9 has been digging through arrest reports of drivers charged under Florida’s new “super speeder” law.
The law carries stiff penalties, including possible jail time, for anyone caught driving 100 mph or faster, or for exceeding the posted speed limit by 50 mph.
One of those drivers was 28-year-old Kiara Molina Rucci. Troopers say they clocked her going 116 mph on the Beachline near Tradeport Drive.
“I got a legit call that my son got bit in the face by a pit bull,” Rucci told the arresting trooper.
But the trooper didn’t buy it, and Rucci was taken to jail.
“Please, you don’t have to be so mean,” she said.
This is just one of more than 70 drivers charged by Florida Highway Patrol under the new law.
When Florida Highway Patrol trooper Migdalisis Garcia was asked if she anticipated the large amount of drviers charged in the first month, she replied, “Absolutely not.”
She explained that 49 people were charged for going at or over 100 mph, with about half of those arrests in Volusia County. Another 22 people were charged for exceeding the speed limit by 50 mph.
“When crashes happen at these speeds, it’s not survivable,” Garcia said.
Data shows that on the first day the law went into effect, Orange County deputies couldn’t make an arrest because the new charge code wasn’t yet in the system.
Florida Highway Patrol faced the same issue and didn’t make its first arrest until July 15.
Since then, troopers say they’ve stopped drivers at extreme speeds. Two people on motorcycles were caught going 87 mph in a 35 mph zone on State Road 434. A 25-year-old was accused of hitting 120 mph on Interstate 4 in Lake Mary and told the trooper he thought the trooper was racing him. A 20-year-old was clocked at 135 mph on I-4 in Longwood. And another 20-year-old was stopped after troopers say he drove a Dodge Charger at 155 mph. Smoke poured from the car after the stop.
Court records show most drivers quickly post their $500 bail, but they are still responsible for towing costs and vehicle impound fees.
As for Rucci, she did not want to comment when Channel 9 reached out by phone. She has a court hearing scheduled for late September.
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