Unpaid Court Fines Waived for One Day Only March 11

For one day only, Polk County is putting the brakes on collection fees and getting drivers back on the road during Operation Green Light. Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller Stacy Butterfield has announced the program in coordination with clerks of court across the state.

During the one-day event, the collection fees applied to unpaid court fines are waived, which saves customers up to 40 percent on their outstanding fines. Once paid, customers can proceed with the reinstatement of their driver's license.

Operation Green Light takes place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, March 11. Customers can pay by phone, 863-534-4446, or in-person at the Polk County Courthouse, 255 N. Broadway Ave., Bartow, FL 33830.

The Florida Department of Highway Safety & Motor Vehicles will also be on site to issue new driver's license.

"This is an important opportunity for people to save money, settle their fines, and restore their driving privileges so they can legally drive again," said Clerk Butterfield. "Driving with a suspended license is a serious issue and can lead to financial burdens, a revoked license or even jail time. We have endured several challenging years, Operation Green Light is one way the Clerk's office is working to better serve our customers and community."

Customers must pay the fine in the county they received the fine.

Payment methods include cash, money order, credit card, Apple Pay and Google Pay, or checks. *A 3.5 percent processing fee is applied to credit card purchases. Late fees and reinstatement fees still apply, if applicable.

During the 2022 event, Polk County customers saved $219,000. Along with this, there were 484 cases paid in full and 894 cases placed on a payment plan.

Clerk offices throughout the state are participating in Operation Green Light in efforts to provide relief to customers and close-out delinquent cases. For a full listing of participating clerks and their event dates and times, visit https://www.flclerks.com/page/GreenLight.

For more information, visit http://www.polkcountyclerk.net. Like the Polk County Clerk Facebook page for updates and announcements.