Reviewed and updated October 11, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site between September 23, 2026 and October 11, 2026.
Key West, Florida, in Monroe County, has about 25,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A traffic ticket written in Key West is a court case in the County Court, and the conviction it ends in goes on the driving record kept by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. This guide says which court takes the ticket, who writes them and where the driving record lives.
This guide covers where tickets go, who writes them, the driving record and common questions.
Related guides: Key West public records, Monroe County traffic tickets, Key West arrest records, Key West warrants, Key West inmate search, Key West criminal records, Florida arrest records and Florida inmate search.
Where a Ticket Written in Key West Goes
A traffic ticket written in Key West is answered in the County Court, which takes misdemeanors, traffic cases, small claims and civil cases up to $50,000. The ticket itself is a court case, and the court's index is the record of it.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at monroecounty-fl.gov/m/directory/department?did=75, phone 305-295-3130.
Florida has no single public index of every trial court case; each court's records are looked up through that court.
Who Writes the Tickets in Key West
The Monroe County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Key West (filed by the FBI as Key West Police Department) write the traffic tickets in and around Key West.
The FBI's agency list also places one state police unit and five state agencies in Monroe County (the arrest records guide names each one); the Highway Patrol in Monroe County writes the tickets on the state highways.
The Driving Record and the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles
The driving record is a separate document from the court file. It is kept by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, which adds each conviction the court reports and handles suspensions; the court does not issue driving records.
Paying a ticket is a conviction, reported to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles like any other; contesting it means a plea of not guilty entered with the court by the date on the ticket.
A DUI is a criminal charge rather than a ticket, with its own license case before the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (see Key West DUI).
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do I pay a traffic ticket from Key West?
With the County Court.
Who keeps my driving record in Florida?
The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. The court reports each conviction to it, and paying a ticket counts as one.
Which court handles traffic tickets in Key West?
The County Court, which takes misdemeanors, traffic cases, small claims and civil cases up to $50,000.
Is this the official Key West website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official city, county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.