JB, a 50-year-old Palm Coast resident, was arrested and booked at the Flagler County jail on a speeding charge–going over 50 miles per hour above the posted speed limit. JB was going 90 in a 35 near Varn Park on State Road A1A, north of Beverly Beach.
He faces up to 30 days in jail, a $500 fine or both if convicted on the second-degree misdemeanor. He is also required to appear at a hearing.
A driver who speeds unlawfully generally commits a noncriminal traffic infraction, punishable as a moving violation. A state law that took effect on July 1, dubbed the Super Speeder Law created a criminal offense for “dangerous excessive speeding.” It applies if a driver exceeds the speed limit by 50 miles per hour or more, or if the driver goes 100 miles per hour or more in a way that threatens others’ safety.
JB was at the wheel of a silver BMW late the morning of Aug. 31 and driving–or rather speeding–south on A1A when Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy Zackary Guinup, who’d been speed-trapping on the side of the road, spotted him passing what the deputy reported were five cars in a no-passing zone, and speeding. His radar indicated 90 mph in a posted 35.
“One of the vehicles being passed was a motorcycle that was occupied by two riders,” the deputy reported. “Furthermore, the silver 2006 BMW 2D was passing by crossing over a double yellow line right by a public county beach, Varn Park, on a Holiday weekend. Varn Park was crowded and had a lot of foot traffic crossing the roadway throughout the day. It should be noted that while the silver BMW was passing the five vehicles, there were multiple people actively walking on the sidewalk right next to where the illegal passing was occurring.”
JB pulled over. He told the deputy he’d “been here before,” though his last traffic infraction in the county, an expired registration, dates back a decade and a half. The deputy asked the driver “what the reason was for his speed and passing everyone in a no-passing zone,” the deputy reported, “to which he stated he did not need to explain his actions to me.”
“I wasn’t going 90,” JB told the deputy as he was being handcuffed.
“Yes, you were,” the deputy told him.”
“No way.”
JB posted $300 bond after his booking and was released. His car was towed.
The area where JB was spotted speeding is the same stretch of A1A where a drunk William G. Schwarz, speeding and passing cars the evening of March 11, 2016, was attempting to pass a car when he crashed head-on into an oncoming one, killing Kathleen and Carl Boos. Schwarz is serving life in prison.
Absent exigent circumstances, FlaglerLive does not run the names or mugshots of individuals charged with misdemeanors.
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