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Contesting Violation: Procedure
To contest a citation, the first request must be made within 15 CALENDAR days from the date of issue on the citation. Please note that the request must be made for an INITIAL REVIEW before a request for a COURT HEARING. The request for a COURT HEARING must be made within 10 CALENDAR days following the mailing of the results from the INITIAL REVIEW. No money is required to request an Initial Review or Court Hearing.
To request an initial review or court hearing date by mail, mail your request to the address indicated on the CITATION or to the address below.
Please request the review or hearing within the time limits indicated. Failure to request a citation review or hearing within the time limits will result in the case not being reviewed and the request will be mailed back to you and payment of the citation(s) will be required.
Request for Citation Review/Hearing
City of Clearwater
Citation Processing Center
P. O. Box 4460
Clearwater, FL 33758-4460
To Contest a Citation at the First Level: Initial Review:
For a period of 15 calendar days from the issuance of a parking citation you may appeal the violation(s). There is no charge for this appeal.
You may request information on how to appeal by phone, but your appeal and the reasons supporting it must be submitted in writing, within 15 CALENDAR days from the date of issue on the citation.
If after the review, it is determined that the violation did not occur; that the registered owner was not responsible for the violation or that the extenuating circumstances make dismissal of the violation appropriate in the interest of justice; the violation shall be dismissed and the results of the review shall be mailed to the appellant.
If after the review, it is determined that the violation did occur and the registered owner is responsible for the violation, the results of the review shall be mailed to the appellant with information on how to pay or contest the citation in court. The request for a COURT HEARING or payment of the citation must be made within 10 CALENDAR days following the mailing of the results from the INITIAL REVIEW.
To contest the Citation at the second level: Court Hearing
If the person is dissatisfied with the results of the initial review, the person may request a court hearing of the violation no later than 10 calendar days following the mailing of the results of the issuing agency's initial review. The request may be made in writing, online, or in person at our office located at 28 N. Garden Ave, Clearwater, Florida.
The court hearing process shall include the following:
(1) The person requesting a hearing shall have the choice of a hearing in person (Plea of Not Guilty) or by mail (Affidavit of Defense - available ONLY for alleged offenders who reside outside of Pinellas County OR those with Physical Hardships).
(2) All hearings shall be conducted within the jurisdiction of the issuing agency. The court will mail notification to the defendant of the date, time and location of their hearing for all in person hearings. The court will mail notification of the outcome of the court date to the defendant using an Affidavit of Defense.
(3) The court hearing shall be conducted in accordance with written procedures established by the issuing agency and approved by the governing body or chief executive officer of the issuing agency. The hearing shall provide an independent, objective, fair, and impartial review of contested parking violations.
(4) Additional fines, court costs and/or penalties may be imposed by the court. All fines, fees and penalties are due immediately after the court hearing should the citation not be dismissed, unless otherwise specified by the courts order.
Payments due from court proceedings should be mailed directly to:
City of Clearwater
Citation Processing Center
P. O. Box 4460
Clearwater, FL 33758-4460
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