Cops are hearing all kinds of excuses from drivers busted under Florida’s new “super speeder” law.

A man driving a Corvette in Palm Coast was pulled over by a Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy on Sept. 23 for going 107 in a 70 mph zone on I-95. “Why (are) you going so fast?” the deputy asked the man. “I have an appointment with my barber,” the man replied. “In New Smyrna.”

The back-and-forth discussion was recorded by the deputy’s body camera. The driver had not heard about the increased penalties under the new law.

“Now you get to go to jail for the night,” the deputy said. “For the night?” asked the man. “Yeah, for the night,” the deputy answered.

1 man’s excuse for speeding? He thought the trooper wanted to race

Then there was the man driving an SUV at 90 mph in a 25 mph zone on 10th Street in Holly Hill on Sept. 6. He told a Holly Hill police detective he was “almost late” to a party.

Another man, driving a high-performance Dodge, told a Florida Highway Patrol trooper on July 20 that he was going to a friend’s house. He was clocked at 155 mph on I-4 in Seminole County. The driver said he was only doing 80. The trooper suspected the man was showing off in front of his three passengers.

Another man was stopped just before midnight on Oct. 31, going 108 in a 70 mph zone on I-4 in Volusia County. The man was wearing a Department of Corrections uniform and said he was on his way to work, according to an FHP trooper.

Another man was stopped after going 120 in a 65 mph zone on I-4 in Seminole County on July 23. He said he thought the FHP trooper in a marked patrol car that pulled him over was actually trying to race him.

About 170 people cited under Florida’s new super speeder law in less than 5 months

About 170 people were charged in Volusia County under the new super speeder law between July 1, when the law took effect, and Nov. 19. The new statute elevates excessive speeding to a criminal charge. The FHP charged the most people, about 107, while the Volusia Sheriff’s Office charged about 50 drivers.

A law enforcement officer who stops a super speeder can take the driver to jail or give him a citation.

Holly Hill Police Chief Byron K. Williams said in an interview that “enough is enough” and that the super speeder law gives law enforcement “a little more teeth” to address outrageous violations, like the driver reportedly doing 90 mph in a 25 mph zone.

“Someone going that fast is obviously ridiculous,” Williams said in a phone interview. “There is no rhyme or reason one should be going that fast down the roadway.”

He said everyone is put in danger due to such high-speed driving.

“Your family member could be just driving to the store, not knowing that that could be the last time you see them, because somebody was in such a hurry, or somebody decided they wanted to rev up the engine to see how fast they could go down the road.”

One recent example of a deadly crash involving high speeds happened not far from Holly Hill.

Drivers under the new law can be charged with a misdemeanor. A person is a super speeder if they drive over the speed limit by 50 mph or more, or if they drive at 100 mph or more “in a manner that threatens the safety of other persons or property or interferes with the operation of any vehicle.”

That “manner,” based on reports of traffic stops, is often described as weaving in and out of traffic.

A first conviction is punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a $500 fine or both, according to the statute. A second conviction is punishable by up to 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine or both.

If someone is convicted again within five years of their first conviction, then their license will be revoked for at least 180 days and up to one year, the statute states.

Defense lawyers seeing super speeder cases

Matt Thompson, who is president of the Volusia County chapter of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, said he has been retained on a couple of super speeder cases and that there seemed to be an “uptick” in such cases for defense attorneys.

“So far, the people I’ve represented don’t have significant driving histories and have no criminal history,” Thompson said. “If the State can prove the case, I focus on securing outcomes like deferred prosecution agreements so clients can avoid a criminal record.”

What used to be a civil citation “now carries criminal consequences,” he said, and “any criminal charge can affect employment opportunities or college admissions.”

Speeding can have deadly consequences

Scott P. March, 63, bought a Chevrolet Corvette on the morning of Saturday, Nov. 1. Later that day, March was driving it at 147 mph on a busy stretch of A1A with a speed limit of 45 mph in Ormond-by-the-Sea, according to FHP.

He was going 110 mph when he tried to pass a Jeep in a no-passing zone and instead slammed into it.

Thomas Lauck was driving the Jeep, and his wife, Julia Ann, was a passenger. Both were thrown from the Jeep and suffered fatal injuries.

March was not cited for “super speeding.” But he is facing much more serious charges.

He is being held without bond at the Volusia County Branch Jail on two counts of vehicular homicide and two counts of driving under the influence causing death.

FHP: Super speeders speeding to jail

FHP Trooper Tara Crescenzi praised Orange County Sheriff John W. Mina for being the driving force behind the super speeder law.

“This is sending a message,” Crescenzi said. “It’s no longer a traffic ticket: you could be spending a night in jail.”

She said super speeders are putting people’s lives in danger. High speeds strip away reaction time for situations like driving up on stopped traffic.

“If you are doing such high speeds and then you come to stopped traffic you could kill yourself or someone else,” she said.

She said super speeding on local roads is also very dangerous. Local roads have pedestrians and cross streets and traffic signals and stop signs, which motorists don’t have on interstates and highways.

Flagler detective wasn’t super-speeding, but faces pending citation

The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office had a recent speeding incident involving one of its own. Flagler Sheriff’s Office Detective Ardit Coma was spotted on Dec. 4 going 88 in a 55 by Ormond Beach Police Sgt. Caleb Braun.

The sergeant said the detective tried to flee a traffic stop for speeding and arrested him. Coma, who was driving an unmarked Flagler County Sheriff’s Office Ford Taurus on his way to work, said he didn’t realize Braun was trying to stop him.

Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said Coma should not have been arrested because there was no evidence to support he had any intent to elude. Ormond Beach Police Chief Jesse Godfrey supported his officer’s arrest of Coma. The State Attorney’s Office declined to file charges.

The Sheriff’s Office suspended Coma for two days without pay. Coma was not “super speeding,” but he still has a pending traffic citation.

Flagler Sheriff’s Office: Super speeding puts everyone at risk

Flagler County Sheriff’s Office Community Policing Division Chief Jonathan Welker declined to comment on Coma’s case during an interview, saying that it had been addressed already by the Sheriff’s Office.

Welker said that prior to the super speeding law, there was no statute that he was “aware of that specifically made excessive speed a criminal matter. Deputies relied on the reckless driving statute if it was applicable.”

Welker said the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office has made 15 arrests based on the super speeder law since it took effect on July 1. He said the barber excuse by the Corvette driver, Michael Stanek, was unique.

“In a 30-year career, I never heard the barber one until I watched that video,” Welker said.

Stanek, 57, was booked into the Flagler County jail after the Sept. 23 traffic stop and spent about 90 minutes before being released on a $150 bond. Stanek was sentenced on Oct. 30 and paid a $166 fine plus $50 cost of prosecution, according to court records. He did not receive any jail time. Adjudication was withheld, which means the misdemeanor won’t be recorded as a conviction.

Welker said super speeding puts the motorists at risk and puts other drivers at risk.

“It’s just not worth it. Please slow down,” he said. “Obey the traffic laws. Arrive safely at your destination and allow those that are motoring alongside you to safely arrive at their destination.”

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Super speeding is dangerous, whatever the excuse, police say