A Florida County Commissioner who has allegedly made a habit of mentioning his lofty government title when pulled over for speeding is getting international attention after a video of one such interaction was posted to YouTube.
Flagler County Commission Chairman Joe Mullins was out in his red 2014 Ferrari 458 Spider on June 19 when police spotted him doing 92 mph (148 km/h) in a 70-mph (113-km/h) zone, reports People. And when Florida Highway Patrol officers ran his plates, they noticed it wasn’t the first time in recent history that Mullins had been feeling speedy in his sports car. Can you blame him? If you’re the police, yes—it’s your job.
“Usually I give warnings, I give breaks. But it looks like you’ve been written a warning already,” reasons the officer in the most recent encounter, explaining why he was issuing a citation.
“I run the county, so I know how that works,” Mullins interrupts. “I’m the chairman of the county commission.”
You don’t say, Mr. Chairman? Fox 35 Orlando shared the police video of the incident, which also captures the conversation between Mullins and the officer, plus Mullins’ hasty pull-away after receiving the ticket.
Now other outlets like Flager Live are publishing similar accounts of Mullins attempting to literally “flash his business card” in order to get out of a speeding ticket when he was caught doing 90 mph (145 km/h) in a 60-mph (96-km/h) zone in another county in early July. The officer in that instance referred to Mullins as “extremely condescending, belligerent, illogical, and disrespectful.”
Dispatch notes suggest Mullins continued to dispute the ticket after being told he could drive away, telling the officer “it would be a career-ending move if [he] arrested him for failing to obey a lawful order.” But police know how to stand up to a bully. Here Mullins was given a $256 fine and the option to complete a four-hour driver improvement course instead of demerit points on his license.
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