PASCO COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — A driver was arrested on New Year’s Eve after authorities said they caught him going over 100 mph in a part of Pasco County where the speed limit is 55 mph.
Officials said Rafael Rivas Maldonado, 39, was arrested as a part of Florida’s “Super Speeder Law,” which was enacted in summer 2025 to address dangerous speeding. The law made certain speeding violations a criminal offense.
4 dead in New Year’s Day crash on Florida road: FHP
A Florida Highway Patrol trooper was patrolling the area of U.S. Highway 19 and Aripeka Road on Wednesday afternoon when Rivas Maldonado drove by in a gray GMC.
The trooper said Rivas Maldonado was passing vehicles and changing lanes in an “aggressive manner” while traveling at 103 mph. The posted speed limit on that stretch of U.S. 19 is 55 mph.
According to a report, the trooper, who had been facing south in the center median, turned around and began following Rivas Maldonado north on U.S. 19. The trooper then overtook Rivas Maldonado’s vehicle and conducted a traffic stop…