Jesse Scheckner
A year after passing legislation to crack down on deadly stunt driving, Sen. Jason Pizzo notches another road safety win — this time against “super speeders.”
The Senate Democratic Leader from Miami-Dade has successfully passed HB 351, which now heads to the Governor’s desk.
The Senate voted 37-0 on Thursday to steepen penalties for the so-called “super speeders” who put other motorists at risk on Florida’s highways and byways.
“You can’t drive 50 miles an hour over the speed limit and not think that’s not excessive and dangerous,” Pizzo, a former Miami-Dade County prosecutor, said ahead of the vote Thursday.
“You can’t go ahead and pass somebody at 100 miles an hour or in excess (of that) and think that that’s not dangerous and excessive speeding. And if you do, you’ve got to appear.”
Pizzo substituted HB 351, sponsored by Republican Reps. Danny Alvarez of Hillsborough County and Susan Plasencia of Orlando, for a version of the legislation (SB 1782) that carried even harsher penalties.
He jokingly called HB 351 the “less good House bill” for its comparative lenience.
The bill, effective July 1, creates a criminal offense for “dangerous excessive speeding” for driving 50 mph or more over the posted speed limit. It would also apply to motorists who drive 100 mph or more in a manner that threatens the safety of others or property, or in a way that interferes with the vehicle’s operation.
First-time offenders would face penalties of up to 30 days in jail, a fine of $500, or both. Conviction for a second offense would land violators in jail for up to 90 days and/or carry a penalty of $1,000.
People who violate the “super speeders” law within five years of a prior conviction could lose their driving privilege for up to a year.
HB 351 also provides that any driver who exceeds the speed limit by more than 50 miles per hour must appear in court.
Pizzo’s version of the bill would have imposed a 90-day jail sentence on first offenders and a six-month sentence for repeat offenders.
“Really soft there, over in the House,” he said.
The legislation follows a measure Pizzo successfully carried in 2024 to help law enforcement address dangerous drag racers, stunt drivers and street takeovers that in recent years have led to thousands of arrests and several deaths across Florida.
Pizzo, who lives in South Florida, said this year’s measure was inspired by a tragedy close to home. He recounted the story of 11-year-old Anthony Reznick, who on the morning of Feb. 10, 2022, was struck and killed on a Sunny Isles Beach crosswalk by a driver who had been issued more than two dozen traffic citations and had her license suspended multiple times.
The woman who killed Reznick, Samentha Toussaint, was driving without insurance. Her headlights weren’t on, Pizzo said, and she was driving at roughly 85 mph in a residential area. A judge suspended her license for eight years, ordered her to pay a $1,000 fine and court costs, and required her to perform 120 hours of community service.
She was never criminally charged.
Pizzo noted Thursday that Anthony Reznick, for whom lawmakers renamed a street, was the younger brother of Pizzo’s son Julian’s girlfriend.
“So, I tried to do aggressive, careless driving (legislation) over the last couple of years,” he said. “I like to drive fast, too. But guys, one of the things we can control is how many people get killed on the roadways. And so if it’s a deterrent, if it saves any of our pages’ lives, God forbid one day, it’s worth it. So, this is for Anthony Reznick.”
Speeding contributed to about 10% of traffic fatalities in Florida between 2019 and 2023, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, which found that an overwhelming share of the drivers responsible were males aged 16 to 25.
