Florida Senate Passes ‘Waldo Bill’ Banning Traffic Ticket Quotas

Traffic ticket quotas for law enforcement agencies would be illegal under a bill passed by the Florida Senate.

The so-called “Waldo Bill” (SB 264) passed unanimously with no debate Wednesday. It must still pass the House and be approved by the governor to become law.

The bill’s nickname comes from the city of Waldo on heavily traveled U.S. 301, once considered one of the nation’s worst speed traps. In 2014, Waldo police officers disclosed a quota system, and the Gainesville Sun reported that traffic tickets accounted for almost half the city’s revenue. The police force has since been disbanded.

The bill also requires a city or county to report to state officials if traffic ticket revenue exceeds a third of the cost of operating its law enforcement agency.