Florida Online Traffic School: How to Take the BDI Course

Updated October 2026 · Reviewed by Billy Forte

To take Florida online traffic school, you confirm you can elect, tell the clerk within 30 days, choose an FLHSMV-approved Internet provider, finish by the clerk’s date and let the provider report your completion. You need your citation, the county where it was issued and the date your clerk or court gives you. The provider files the proof, and you check your case at the end.

Key Facts

Step 1: make sure you can elect. See step 1.
Step 2: elect with the clerk within 30 days of the citation date and pay the election fee. See step 2.
Step 3: choose a provider whose delivery method is Internet. See step 3.
Steps 4 and 5: finish by your date, then the provider reports to FLHSMV and the clerk. See step 4.
Step 6: confirm with the clerk that your completion arrived. See step 6.

What You Need Before You Start

Gather a few things first. Each one ties to a rule in the steps below:

Your citation. The citation date starts the 30-day election window. The county where it was issued tells you which clerk to contact.
Your license type. Holders of a commercial driver license (CDL) or commercial learner’s permit (CLP) cannot elect.
Your election history. You cannot elect if you elected in the preceding 12 months, or if you have already made eight elections.
Funds for separate costs. The clerk collects the election fee and the reduced civil penalty. The provider collects the course fee plus the $2.50 state assessment fee.

Our cost guide explains each of those costs.

Florida Online Traffic School, Step by Step

The six steps below follow the timing rules FLHSMV and Florida law set. Do them in this order, because the election must come before the course.

Step 1: Check That You Can Elect

Under s. 318.14(9), you can elect only if all of these are true:

You do not hold a CDL or a commercial learner’s permit.
You were driving a noncommercial vehicle when cited.
You were not cited for speeding 30 mph or more over the limit.
Your ticket does not require a court hearing under s. 318.19.
You have not elected in the preceding 12 months, and you have made fewer than eight elections.

The hearing list in s. 318.19 covers a crash that causes death or serious bodily injury. It also covers passing a stopped school bus on the side children enter and exit, certain load violations, and speeding 30 mph or more, or 50 mph or more, over the limit.

Criminal charges, such as DUI or reckless driving, fall outside the election under s. 318.17. Our guide to eligible violations lists every exclusion.

Step 2: Elect With the Clerk

FLHSMV’s BDI page says to elect within 30 days of the citation date. You inform the Clerk of Court in the county where the ticket was issued before you attend. You also pay that clerk’s election fee, which has no statewide amount.

When you elect, the civil penalty is cut by 18 percent under s. 318.14(9). You still pay the reduced amount to the clerk.

Do not pay the full ticket by mistake. The Orange County Clerk and s. 322.01 treat paying without electing as a conviction, and points are added. See how to elect traffic school for the full process.

Step 3: Choose an Internet Provider

Open the FLHSMV Approved BDI Course Providers list. Pick a provider whose Delivery Method says Internet. Online providers need approval for statewide delivery under s. 318.1451(2)(b).

Read any note in the provider’s row, since some rows apply to one county’s citations only. Before you pay, read the fee disclosure. The law requires approved providers to disclose all fees.

Our guide to FLHSMV-approved providers shows how to read the list.

Step 4: Finish by Your Date

The court or clerk sets your finish date, and no statewide window exists. The Escambia County Clerk gives 60 days, starting the day you elect. The Miami-Dade Clerk must receive the certificate within 120 days.

FLHSMV sets the course length, and clerk pages call BDI a 4-hour course. Our course length guide lists more county dates.

Step 5: Let the Provider Report

When you finish, the provider must issue you a certificate. It then reports your completion to FLHSMV within 5 days, through the Driver Improvement Certificate Issuance System.

The provider also files the completion and your citation number with the clerk through the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal. That filing is due within 3 days after it gets your certificate number.

FLHSMV’s Driver Improvement Schools page says to allow 24 to 72 hours for the completion to post. FLHSMV does not accept paper certificates for licensing.

Step 6: Check Your Case

After the provider’s 3-day clerk filing window, contact the clerk in the county on your ticket. Ask whether the clerk received your completion.

If it has not arrived, contact your provider first. Then contact the clerk again with your citation number. Our certificate guide explains the proof in detail.

Six steps to take Florida online traffic school, from checking eligibility to confirming with the clerk

What the Election Changes for That Ticket

Finishing all six steps gives three results for the ticket you elected, under s. 318.14(9):

A smaller civil penalty, cut by 18 percent.
Adjudication withheld, so there is no finding of guilt.
No points assessed for that ticket.

Under s. 318.14(11), a withheld adjudication “is not a conviction.” It is not a dismissal, though. The Escambia County Clerk says the violation is entered on your record as “adjudication withheld.”

The election does not remove points already on your record. It also does not earn the driver improvement insurance discount in s. 627.06501, which excludes a course taken for a ticket election.

Keep a Record of Each Step

A short paper trail makes Step 6 easier. Write down these details as you go:

the citation number and the citation date;
the date you elected with the clerk;
the finish date your clerk or court gave you;
the provider’s name as it appears on the FLHSMV list;
the date you finished the course.

Providers must keep course records for 5 years under s. 318.1451(5)(a). Your own notes help you ask the right question if the completion does not post.

What Happens If You Miss a Step

Each step has a rule behind it. Missing one has a set result:

Missed step	What happens	Where the rule is
No election within 30 days	You cannot elect, and points are assessed	FLHSMV
Paid the full ticket without electing	It counts as a conviction, and points are added	s. 322.01; Orange County Clerk
Did not finish by the clerk’s date	Guilty finding, points, and repayment of the 18 percent plus up to $18	s. 318.15(1)(b)
Failing to attend driver improvement school	Listed among the failures the clerk reports to FLHSMV, which then suspends the license	s. 318.15(1)(a)

Clerk forms from Escambia and St. Johns counties say the election still counts toward your limit if you do not finish. See the completion deadline guide.

If You Have a Court Order Instead

A court-ordered course follows the order, not the election steps. FLHSMV says to finish in the time the court requires. You then notify the court and give it the documents it needs.

If the order names a format or a school, follow it. If it is unclear whether an online course fits, ask the court or clerk first. Our guide to court-ordered BDI online covers this case.

Checklist of what to have ready before you take Florida online traffic school

When a Page Shows an Older Limit

Some official pages lag behind the law. FLHSMV pages and some clerk pages still say five lifetime elections. The statute, s. 318.14(9), has said eight since July 1, 2024, when chapter 2024-173, Laws of Florida, took effect.

If a page and the statute disagree, the statute controls; ask your clerk if you are unsure of your count.

Drivers Outside Florida

Section 318.14(9) says the driver may attend a course “in the location of his or her choice within this state.” If you live in another state and want to take the course online, ask the clerk in the county on your ticket before you enroll.

What We Found on Clerk Pages

On the clerk pages we checked on October 27, 2026, each county described its own process. The Hillsborough County Clerk said the traffic school must file completion with the clerk within 60 calendar days.

Escambia said the 60 days begin on the day you elect. It also said an election counts once the affidavit is signed and recorded by the court.

The St. Johns County Clerk election form said proof must reach the clerk within 60 days.

Miami-Dade said the clerk must receive the certificate within 120 days. Because these rules differ, read your own clerk’s page before you start.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Each item comes from Florida law, FLHSMV or a clerk page:

Taking the course before you elect. FLHSMV says to tell the clerk before you attend.
Paying when you meant to elect. Paying without electing counts as a conviction, and points are added.
Picking a Classroom-only provider. An online course needs Internet as the delivery method.
Contacting the wrong clerk. Elect with the clerk in the county where the ticket was issued.
Treating the course name as a deadline. Your clerk or court sets the finish date.
Skipping the final check. Confirm that the clerk received your completion.

How Requirements Can Vary

Florida’s election rules, point values and suspension levels come from Florida Statutes and FLHSMV, and they apply statewide. The election fee, the date to finish the course and how proof is filed are set by the Clerk of Court in the county on your ticket, or by the court. A court order sets its own deadline and proof steps.

Laws, fees and clerk practice can change. Check your citation, your clerk’s instructions, any court order and the FLHSMV website before you enroll or file anything.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I take Florida traffic school fully online?

Yes, with a provider FLHSMV lists with Internet delivery and statewide approval. You still elect with the clerk first, and the clerk or court still sets your finish date.

Do I have to tell the clerk before I start?

Yes. FLHSMV says drivers must inform the clerk in the county where the citation was issued before attending the course. The election must be made within 30 days of the citation date.

What do I pay, and to whom?

The clerk collects the election fee and the civil penalty, reduced by 18 percent. The provider collects its course fee plus the $2.50 state assessment fee. No single statewide price exists for the course.

How long do I have to finish?

Your clerk or court sets the date. Clerk examples are 60 days in Hillsborough and Escambia, and 120 days in Miami-Dade.

Who sends my completion to the clerk?

The provider does. It files through the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal within 3 days after it gets your certificate number.

What if I elected traffic school within the last year?

You cannot elect again if you made an election in the preceding 12 months. The lifetime limit is eight elections. If you are unsure of your count, ask the clerk.

Does online traffic school remove points from my license?

No. A completed election keeps points off the ticket you elected for. Points already on your record stay there.

Can I elect if I hold a CDL but drove my own car?

No. The election is closed to every CDL and commercial learner’s permit holder under s. 318.14(9), even for a ticket in a personal car.

Conclusion

Florida online traffic school follows six steps: check eligibility, elect with the clerk, pick an Internet provider, finish on time, let the provider report and check your case. Keep your citation date and your clerk’s finish date in front of you the whole time.

With a court order, do what the order says, and ask the court or clerk about anything you are unsure of. Once you have elected, you can take the Florida BDI course online.

Sources

Billy Forte is the owner of Driving Logic, a driver improvement course provider serving Florida and other U.S. states.

This article is general information, not legal advice. Election rules, deadlines, fines and penalties depend on your citation, county, court and case facts, and they can change. Use official FLHSMV, Florida Statutes and Clerk of Court sources, and consult a qualified Florida attorney for advice about your own case.