Florida cracks down on drivers under super speeder law

LEE COUNTY, Fla. (WINK) - More than 80 drivers have been arrested in Lee County since Florida’s dangerous excessive speeding law took effect last year, as law enforcement continues to catch drivers reaching extreme speeds on Southwest Florida roads.

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office told WINK News that deputies have arrested 82 people under the law since July 1, 2025. Of those arrests, 55 involved drivers going more than 100 mph and 27 involved drivers going at least 50 mph over the posted speed limit.

The arrests in Lee County are part of thousands of cases statewide. Since the law took effect, 4,817 citations have been issued across Florida under the dangerous excessive speeding statute.

Florida Highway Patrol told WINK News its Southwest Florida region issued approximately 333 violations during the law’s first year.

FHP said a significant portion of its local stops happened on Interstate 75, State Road 80, State Road 82 and the bridges leading into Cape Coral.

For Cape Coral resident Lucy Marone, those locations are familiar.

“It happens a lot, more than you think,” Marone said.

Marone told WINK News she sees drivers speeding on Veterans Parkway, U.S. 41 and the bridges between Fort Myers and Cape Coral. She estimates she encounters extreme speeding several times in a single week.

“All the time. All the time,” Marone said. “They get angry ‘cause you’re not driving fast enough.”

Marone recalled seeing one driver use the shoulder near the Jones Loop Road exit to get around another vehicle.

“They were going, what, like 85, 90 at that time on the shoulder, on the right-hand shoulder,” Marone said. “It makes you wonder, what are you thinking? I don’t know why people would drive like that and put other people at risk.”

Other Southwest Florida drivers shared similar concerns.

“It’s scary,” Jackie, a North Fort Myers resident, said.

Another North Fort Myers driver called the speeds “very, very scary,” while another described them as “dangerous.”

Recent arrests by LCSO show some drivers are reaching speeds well beyond posted limits.

On Aug. 12, deputies arrested a 21-year-old Lehigh Acres man after LCSO said he was clocked going 105 mph on Lee Boulevard, where the speed limit was 45 mph.

Nine days earlier, deputies arrested a driver after they said a Porsche was traveling 96 mph in a 45-mph zone on Three Oaks Parkway.

In May, deputies arrested a father accused of driving 102 mph on State Road 82. LCSO said his 3-year-old child was in the backseat and was not properly restrained.

Sheriff Carmine Marceno said those cases demonstrate why his agency is enforcing the law.

“These aren’t simply people going a little too fast, these are drivers who are putting innocent lives at risk,” Marceno said. “In some cases, these dangerous drivers were under the influence or had children in their vehicles.”

Florida’s dangerous excessive speeding law applies when a driver travels at least 50 mph over the posted speed limit. It also applies when a driver reaches 100 mph or more in a manner that threatens the safety of people or property or interferes with another vehicle.

A first conviction can carry up to 30 days in jail, a $500 fine or both. A second or subsequent conviction can carry up to 90 days in jail, a $1,000 fine or both. Certain repeat offenders can also lose their driving privileges for 180 days to one year.

Marceno said the law gives deputies another way to intervene before dangerous driving ends in tragedy.

“This law gives us another tool to hold reckless and aggressive drivers accountable and, most importantly, get them off our roadways,” Marceno said. “Every one of these arrests represents a potentially preventable tragedy.”

Marone has her own message for drivers who feel the need to push their vehicles to high speeds.

“We in Florida have tracks,” Marone said. “If you have the need for speed, do it on a track.”