Santa Rosa County

Santa Rosa County, Florida is located in the Florida panhandle to the east of Escambia County. The population is close to 150,000 and the county seat is located in Milton, Florida. The population of the county has exploded in recent years. Between 2000-2005, Santa Rosa County was in the top 100 fastest growing counties in the United State.

Aside from the Santa Rosa County Sheriffs Office, the county is patrolled by the Florida Highway Patrol, and the city of Milton and Gulf Breeze police departments. Last year law enforcement in Santa Rosa County, Florida issued close to 20,000 moving violation citations to Santa Rosa motorists. Over half of the moving violations issued last year were for speeding tickets. Most of those speeding tickets were issued by the Florida Highway Patrol. The Florida Highway Patrol uses a fixed wing airplane for speed enforcement. The pilot in the air clocks cars with a stopwatch and then radios to a trooper on the ground who pulls the vehicle over. Both the pilot and the stopping trooper are required to appear in court in order for the violation to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

Santa Rosa County, Florida is part of Florida’s First Judicial Circuit. Other counties within the Circuit include Escambia, Okaloosa, and Walton Counties. There are two County Court Judges assigned to Santa Rosa County, Ross Bilbrey, and Robert Hilliard. Both of the Judges spend their day listening to criminal misdemeanor and traffic ticket cases.

Unincorporated areas of the county include Bagdad, Navarre, Navarre Beach, and Pace.

If you have been arrested or received a traffic ticket in Santa Rosa County, Florida please call our office so we can discuss the individual facts of your case. We are here to help you 24/7.