One less speed trap on US 301: Hampton may disappear!

[thelakelander]

Tiny town known as speed trap may disappear

HAMPTON, Fla. - 

With its former mayor in jail on drug charges and after most other city employees who walked out after a state audit found missing money and possibly criminal mismanagement, the city of Hampton may not be around much longer.

To anyone who ever got a speeding ticket while passing through the two miles of U.S. 301 within the Hampton city limits, this is welcome news.

With only 477 residents, the city has brought in as much as $200,000 annually from traffic citations.

"This town exists apparently just to write speeding tickets," state Sen. Rob Bradley, who represents Bradford County, told Time magazine earlier this month.

Full article: http://www.news4jax.com/news/tiny-town-known-as-speed-trap-may-disappear/-/475880/24565012/-/kup4e2/-/index.html

[tufsu1]

The US 301 speed traps are in Waldo, Starke, and Lawtey...perhaps our state legislators need to get educated

[Badfinger]

You may want to ask one former mayoral spokesperson if he considers Hampton to be a speed trap.

[tufsu1]

^ I don't think speeding was his problem

[Josh]

Weren't the city limits of Hampton expanded solely so they could get a piece of 301 to write tickets?

[coredumped]

Weren't the city limits of Hampton expanded solely so they could get a piece of 301 to write tickets?

I never heard that, but it sure does look like it according to google maps. Look at how the city limit stretches over to 301:

That being said, I've only seen cops with nothing to do in Waldo and Lawtey.

[thelakelander]

^Wow, that's pretty suspect.

[Tacachale]

Yes, that's pretty much the picture. All of those towns make their budget pulling over people going between Jacksonville and Gainesville, but Hampton is easily the most shameless.

[DDC]

Weren't the city limits of Hampton expanded solely so they could get a piece of 301 to write tickets?

Yes. I don't remember it lasting very long but they did it for a while and I think they got called out for it by AAA, who also put Lawtey and Waldo and Starke in their sites as well.

[I-10east]

Amongst other controversies, a speed trap panhandle reaching out to US-301, really? Thanks Hampton for being the shadiest town in Florida (I'm not talking about the sunlight either).

[ChriswUfGator]

I got a ticket in Hampton for 10 over. They are definitely a speed trap. Very well-mannered and professional cop, though. In fact he was so nice and courteous that I actually just paid the ticket instead of weaseling out of it like usual.

[mbwright]

looks like a political district...

[tufsu1]

I got a ticket in Hampton for 10 over. They are definitely a speed trap. Very well-mannered and professional cop, though. In fact he was so nice and courteous that I actually just paid the ticket instead of weaseling out of it like usual.

I've never even seen a cop pull someone over in that area....the real speed traps are Lawtey, Starke, and Waldo, where they will gladly write you a ticket for going 2-3 mph over the limit.

[tufsu1]

Weren't the city limits of Hampton expanded solely so they could get a piece of 301 to write tickets?

I never heard that, but it sure does look like it according to google maps. Look at how the city limit stretches over to 301:

That being said, I've only seen cops with nothing to do in Waldo and Lawtey.

I think you guys are being too harsh....obviously they expanded the boundary to capture the vast economic development potential and high propoerty values on the US 301 corridor

[acme54321]

I got a ticket in Hampton for 10 over. They are definitely a speed trap. Very well-mannered and professional cop, though. In fact he was so nice and courteous that I actually just paid the ticket instead of weaseling out of it like usual.

I've never even seen a cop pull someone over in that area....the real speed traps are Lawtey, Starke, and Waldo, where they will gladly write you a ticket for going 2-3 mph over the limit.

You must not drive through there very often.  It got bad like 6 years ago but they seemed to have eased off lately.  You probably just don't notice the cops because most of their cars are random color late model undercover cars.  They had a Dodge Neon and Durango for a while.