A 30-year-old driver told Brevard County deputies he was speeding down I-95 near Cocoa because he desperately needed to use the bathroom at a Buc-ee's travel center 61 miles away in Daytona Beach. Deputies clocked Omar Soliman's Audi going 117 mph in a 70 mph zone before pulling him over around 2:45 p.m. last Saturday, and his excuse did not keep him out of jail.
According to FOX 35 Orlando, which cited the Brevard County Sheriff's Office and a probable cause affidavit, Soliman also made unsafe lane changes and followed other vehicles too closely before deputies stopped him. He was arrested and booked into the Brevard County Jail complex without incident, with bond set at $500. Soliman was charged with reckless driving, operating a vehicle at 100 mph or more, and — because his speed cleared the threshold under Florida's newer super-speeder law — with a criminal offense rather than a simple traffic ticket.
Why a Speeding Stop Became an Arrest
The reason Soliman ended up in handcuffs instead of holding a citation traces back to a change in Florida law. Florida Statute § 316.1922, created by House Bill 351 and in effect since July 1, 2025, made it a criminal offense — dangerous excessive speeding — to drive 50 mph or more over the posted limit, or 100 mph or faster in a dangerous manner. A first conviction is a second-degree misdemeanor punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a $500 fine, according to the statute posted on Online Sunshine. Before that law took effect, driving 117 mph on an interstate without some other dangerous act typically resulted in a civil citation rather than a physical arrest.
On top of the criminal charge, Florida Statute § 318.14(13) imposes mandatory civil fines starting at $1,000 for a first super-speeder offense, climbing to $2,500 plus a one-year license suspension for a second and $5,000 for a third — fines that require a court appearance rather than an online payment. Soliman's reckless driving charge falls under a separate statute, § 316.192, which defines reckless driving as operating a vehicle with willful or wanton disregard for safety and carries penalties of up to 90 days in jail and fines between $25 and $500 for a first conviction.
Sheriff Wayne Ivey Weighs In
Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey publicly mocked the restroom defense on social media, noting that the county jail — which he nicknamed “Ivey's Iron Bar Lodge” — has plenty of restrooms too, just not quite as nice and with snack options he described as “nonexistent.” Deputies also pointed out that Buc-ee's restrooms carry a reputation for being exceptionally clean, a reputation cemented when the chain's New Braunfels, Texas location won Cintas' “America's Best Restroom” award in 2012 for its 83 spotless toilets. The Daytona Beach Buc-ee's Soliman said he was trying to reach opened in March 2021 at I-95 and LPGA Boulevard, the chain's second Florida location, spanning 53,000 square feet with 104 fueling positions, per PR Newswire.
The stop happened while Brevard County deputies were actively working I-95 as part of a joint enforcement push with the Florida Highway Patrol. Sheriff Ivey launched the “This is the Only Warning You're Getting” initiative in January 2026 alongside FHP after a string of severe and fatal crashes along the county's 72-mile stretch of the interstate, according to Space Coast Daily. That campaign has produced hundreds of citations and dozens of super-speeder stops since it began.
A Familiar Excuse Statewide
Soliman's bathroom claim is not the first of its kind. In Seminole County last month, a driver clocked at 127 mph on SR 417 told a deputy, “I have to pee so bad,” according to ClickOrlando. Statewide, Florida Highway Patrol troopers made 967 arrests under the dangerous excessive speeding statute between July 1, 2025, and June 15, 2026 — nearly three arrests per day across the state's interstates and highways, per the same outlet's reporting.
The pattern has also shown up close to home for Hoodline readers. Jacksonville Sheriff's Office deputies arrested a 24-year-old driver on August 3 for hitting 117 mph on I-295, a case Hoodline covered in a Jacksonville super-speeder case just days before Soliman's stop. Personal emergencies, deputies and prosecutors across the state have repeatedly indicated, do not defeat a reckless driving or super-speeder charge once a driver is clocked at triple-digit speeds.
