Florida Traffic Citation Suspension (D6)

Failing to comply with the court requirements after receiving a traffic citation/summons/ticket will result in the county court notifying the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) to indefinitely suspend your driver record until the court requirements are met. There are several reasons why a driver record might be suspended and, depending on the circumstances, there may be varying requirements for reinstatement. The most common reason for suspension is a Florida traffic citation remains unpaid or it was paid late.  Other reasons for suspension are listed below: 

Follow the steps below to have your Florida driver license/privilege reinstated. 

Step 1. Obtain Information about Court Requirements

Contact the Clerk of Court in the county where the citation was issued to obtain information about paying your fine and/or satisfying the court requirements. If you don’t know in which county you received your citation, visit mydmvportal.flhsmv.gov/Home/en/PublicWeb/DLCheck to locate this information.  You may also contact the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) customer service center at 850.617.2000. 

Step 2. Satisfy the Court Requirements

Pay any required fines and/or satisfy the court requirements of your Florida Traffic Citation Suspension (D6). Once court requirements are met, Manatee County - along with most counties in Florida - are required to submit clearances electronically directly to the FLHSMV. Paper clearances will not be accepted from these counties. Ensure you verify that the clearance will be sent electronically and ask them how long it will take for the information to be submitted – in many cases the information is not submitted instantly - meaning our office cannot reinstate the same day.
 
If the county where you received the citation in is not required to submit clearances electronically, obtain the required paper clearance form – this form must be presented to our office for reinstatement. To save you a trip to the Clerk of Court, you may be able to pay your Florida traffic fine online, by visiting www.payflclerk.com. Online payments may incur longer processing times - meaning our office cannot reinstate the same day.  
 
Reference the chart below to determine if the county in which you received your citation requires electronic clearance. Electronic clearance requirements from a county not listed below must be verified by contacting the Clerk of Court where you received the citation.

ONLY ELECTRONIC CLEARANCES WILL BE ACCEPTED FROM THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES. Paper clearance forms will NOT be accepted for reinstatement.

Alachua, Baker, Bay, Bradford, Brevard, Broward, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, Columbia, Desoto, Dixie, Duval, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, Hardee, Hendry, Hernando, Hillsborough, Holmes, Indian River, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lee, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Manatee, Martin, Miami-Dade, Nassau, Okaloosa, Orange, Osceola, Pasco, Pinellas, Putnam, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, St. Lucie, Taylor, Walton

Step 3. Check the Status of Your License

Check the status of your driver license at mydmvportal.flhsmv.gov/Home/en/PublicWeb/DLCheck to verify that the court has submitted clearances electronically, directly to the FLHSMV, if required above. This will be indicated by the phrase “Court Requirements Met”. Checking the status of your driver record to ensure your record reflects this will potentially save you an extra trip to our office. 

Step 4. Reinstate Your Driver Record

Once the steps above have been completed, you have four options to reinstate your driver record:

 Option 1: Request that the Clerk of Court reinstate your driver record at the same time you satisfy the court requirements! When you are satisfying the court requirements ask the court about remitting payment for the reinstatement at the same time. This will save you a trip to our office.

 Option 2: Many suspensions can be reinstated online – or scan the QR code to access the site.  (In order to clear online, the Clerk of Court must have marked your suspension(s) as Requirements Met as detailed in Steps 2 and 3.) Remitting payment and reinstating online will save you a trip to our office.

Option 3: Contact the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) to pay the D6 suspension reinstatement fee with a credit card over the phone at 850.617.3000.

 Option 4: Visit our Driver License Branch at 904 301 Blvd W, Bradenton – Appointments are required. You must present that clearance form, if you were required to obtain the paper clearance form in Step #2.

An Online Application is REQUIRED for all transactions! To complete your driver license or ID card transaction at one of our branches, you must complete the Online Driver License & ID Card Application (https://taxcollector.jotform.com/210103795736152) – or scan the QR code to access the application – prior to your appointment. Do not print the application; an associate will access your electronic submission during your appointment. Applications are valid for 90 days. 

5. Acceptable Methods of Payment and Estimated Fees

We will accept cash, check, debit cards, and credit cards. A $2.50 processing fee for debit cards and a 2.5% processing fee (minimum of $2.50) for credit cards will apply. Our office does not retain any portion of this fee.
 
Estimate of fees* for your suspension reinstatement:

Service Fee - $6.25             
Compliance Prior to Suspension - $0.00
Suspension Reinstatement - $60.00
Driver License (replacement) - $25.00
Driver License (renewal) - $48.00
Commercial Driver License (renewal) - $75.00
Late Fee - $15.00
Endorsement Fee - $7.00 (each)

*Other related reinstatement or issuance fees may apply.
**Fees listed above only apply to reinstatements processed at the Driver License Branch; they do not apply to any fees owed to the Clerk of Courts.   

Invalid License Information

Is your license currently suspended, revoked and/or cancelled? If your driver license is suspended, revoked and/or cancelled, driving any type of vehicle may result in:

• ARREST by law enforcement
• TOWING of your vehicle

We urge you to respect the law and make arrangements other than driving a vehicle to avoid the unfortunate events above. A free public phone and computer are provided in the lobby to call for a ride from our office or to access the Manatee County Area Transit (MCAT) website.

Note: A minor child operating a motor vehicle with a learner license must be accompanied by another adult with a valid license (non-suspended).

How can you get your license back once it's reinstated? If your license was retained by one of our branches due to a suspension, revocation and/or cancellation, you may be able to have it returned for no additional fee once it has been reinstated. Licenses retained by our office are only kept for a short period of time before they are destroyed.

If you are interested in getting your license back, you must do the following within 1-2 days after your license was retained.

1. Return to the branch that retained your license.
2. Print the screen from https://mydmvportal.flhsmv.gov/home/en/publicweb/dlcheck that shows your license is “VALID” that day.
3. Provide the screen print to the receptionist.

If your license has been destroyed or you opt to purchase a replacement license at the time you reinstate your driving privilege, you would be subject to the $31.25 replacement fee. 

Additional Information

Not a Manatee County Resident? Our offices are open by appointment only for Manatee County residents/businesses only.  All out-of-county residents must visit their home county for information and processing.  To find a location, visit flhsmv.gov/locations.