ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Orange-Osceola State Attorney Monique Worrell on Wednesday gave an update on enforcement efforts regarding Florida’s new “Super Speeder” law.
Worrell said the law marks a significant increase from simple traffic citations and applies regardless of prior criminal history.
“This law is a critical step toward saving lives and addressing the dangerous rise in reckless driving on our roads,” Worrell said. “This is not the type of offense you normally think of in the context of crime and prosecution. However, this is the type of event that would be committed by your spouse, your neighbor, your coworker, and sadly, even your teenagers.”
Worrell highlighted a recent incident in Sumter County, where a teen drove a Dodge Charger at high speed on Interstate 75 and lost control before hitting a tree and causing serious injuries to passengers, including one fatality.
Worrell also recalled a 2021 crash on State Road 408 where a driver in a Porsche was traveling 150 mph for an hour, swerved around a truck, and rear-ended another vehicle, killing the other vehicle’s driver. The Porsche driver, accused of vehicular homicide, faces a minimum of nine years in prison.
“In 2024 alone, there were over 30 traffic-related deaths across Orange and Osceola counties,” Worrell said. “These are not just numbers. These are families who now face empty seats at dinner tables, missed birthdays, and futures stolen in seconds by poor choices made by reckless drivers.”
[VIDEO BELOW: Catherine Silver looks at ‘Super Speeder’ data]
Under the “Dangerous Excessive Speeding Act,” anyone convicted of operating a motor vehicle 50 mph or more above the posted speed limit, or driving 100 mph or more “in a manner that threatens the safety of other persons or property or interferes with the operation of any vehicle,” can be sentenced to a maximum of 30 days in jail and given a $500 fine for a first offense.
Preliminary data provided to News 6 by the Florida Highway Patrol on Tuesday shows that 55 drivers across Central Florida have been arrested since July 1 under the following statutes:
- 316.1922. 1. a. “dangerous excessive speeding” as driving a vehicle in willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property while exceeding the speed limit by 50 mph or more
- 316.1922. 1. b. “dangerous excessive speeding” driving at 100 mph or more in a manner that endangers others
That includes Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Volusia, and Brevard counties.
During the news conference, Worrell also expressed concern about rising road-rage incidents and pedestrian deaths related to traffic, noting the challenges that come with population growth.
Watch Worrell’s remarks again in the video player below or by clicking here.