A Brevard County sheriff’s deputy who was later named the agency’s 2025 Deputy of the Year was caught riding a motorcycle at 111 mph while off duty, but the Florida Highway Patrol trooper who stopped him chose not to make an arrest under the state’s “Super Speeder” law and instead wrote a much less serious traffic ticket.
News 6 investigator Mike DeForest reported that the February traffic stop involved then-Deputy Michael Fultz, who was riding on U.S. 192 near Melbourne when Trooper Joshua Provencher clocked the motorcycle at 111 mph in a 65 mph zone.
Video from the patrol car shows Provencher initially reacting as though an arrest was likely, saying, “He’s going to jail,” before making a U-turn and following the motorcycle. Once he realized the rider was another law enforcement officer he knew professionally, however, the tone and outcome of the stop changed.
Trooper Initially Says, “He’s Going To Jail”
DeForest reported that Provencher was using radar on Feb. 9 when Fultz passed his patrol vehicle at high speed, apparently while overtaking two other motorcycles that were also traveling well above the speed limit.
After activating his lights and siren, Provencher pulled Fultz over and immediately confronted him about the speed.
“What on earth!” the trooper said, according to the video. “111. And you were increasing. Tell me why I shouldn’t take you to jail?”
Fultz apologized and handed over his license, and Provencher then asked whether he knew him.
“Yeah. Fultz. Sheriff’s Office,” the rider replied.
At that point, the trooper recognized him and reacted with surprise, saying, “Dude! Bro! I didn’t recognize you! C’mon!”
That moment became central to the later questions about whether Fultz received special treatment, because Provencher’s first reaction to the speed was that the rider was going to jail, while his approach changed after learning who was on the motorcycle.
Trooper Calls A Supervisor And Says He Does Not Want To Ruin Fultz’s Job
Provencher returned to his patrol car and called an FHP sergeant for advice.
“I know this guy. He is a deputy,” he told the supervisor. “Just clocked him at 111 out here on 192.”
The supervisor’s side of the conversation was not recorded, but Provencher described the traffic conditions, saying there was a “fairly decent amount of traffic” and that Fultz had been passing two motorcycles that were themselves traveling above 80 mph.
He also said Fultz was traveling in a straight line and had not been weaving.
Under Florida’s Dangerous Excessive Speeding Act, commonly referred to as the “Super Speeder” law, officers can arrest drivers traveling 100 mph or more when their driving threatens the safety of other people or property.
DeForest reported that sheriff’s investigators later concluded that the circumstances met the criminal requirements of that law.
Even so, Provencher told his supervisor he wanted to avoid taking Fultz into custody.
“If I can avoid the 10-15, I don’t want to ruin his job,” he said, using police terminology for placing someone in custody.
That comment is difficult to separate from the later accusations of favoritism, because the trooper was openly weighing the potential effect of an arrest on a fellow officer’s career rather than discussing only the facts of the traffic violation.
Fultz Gets A Ticket For Only 9 MPH Over The Limit
After speaking with his supervisor, Provencher returned to Fultz and told him he would not be arrested.
“I already spoke to my sergeant, and he’s giving me full leeway on it,” the trooper said. “He’s like, ‘It’s up to you.’”
Instead of citing Fultz for traveling 111 mph, Provencher wrote him a civil traffic citation for driving 74 mph in a 65 mph zone.
The ticket itself still included a note stating that the vehicle had been clocked at 111 mph, but the listed violation reduced the alleged speed to only 9 mph over the limit.
That difference mattered because motorists cited for going at least 30 mph over the speed limit are generally required to appear before a judge.
Provencher told Fultz that he was deliberately avoiding that outcome.
“I’m not going to make you go to court,” the trooper said.
Fultz later paid the $155 fine and associated late fees.
DeForest also reported that Fultz did not have the motorcycle endorsement required on his license, yet Provencher did not cite him for that violation or impound the motorcycle.
Sheriff’s Investigators Later Conclude The Super Speeder Law Applied
The Brevard County Sheriff’s Office eventually learned about the stop while conducting a separate administrative investigation into Fultz.
Investigators later wrote that Provencher knew Fultz’s speed and the surrounding traffic conditions met the statutory requirements for the Super Speeder law.
Fultz himself also admitted during the internal investigation that the speed at which he had been traveling violated that law.
The traffic stop apparently was not formally reported by Fultz to his supervisors as required by agency policy.
According to the sheriff’s office report, Fultz initially said he had told his supervisor, but later clarified that word of the incident had circulated and that a sergeant had approached him about it.
That omission raises another issue beyond the original speeding: once the stop happened, there was a separate expectation that Fultz disclose it through the proper internal channels.
Fultz Was Named Deputy Of The Year About A Month Later
About a month after the traffic stop, Fultz was honored as Brevard County’s 2025 Deputy of the Year.
DeForest reported that the agency did not appear to take action over the February stop before the award was given.
The matter surfaced more fully after Fultz’s former girlfriend emailed Sheriff Wayne Ivey about the incident just hours after the award ceremony.
By then, the sheriff’s office was already examining other allegations involving Fultz.
Investigators ultimately accused him of what the agency described as “egregious misconduct,” both related and unrelated to the traffic stop.
Fultz resigned in May before the sheriff could fire him.
The timing makes the case especially uncomfortable for the department, because one of its most publicly honored deputies had already been involved in a serious speeding stop weeks before receiving the award.
Fultz Apologizes After Resigning
In a statement to News 6, Fultz apologized to the sheriff’s office, his former colleagues, his family and the public.
“I want to apologize to the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, the men and women I served alongside, my family, and the citizens of Brevard County for the embarrassment and negative attention my actions have caused,” he said.
Fultz also said becoming a deputy had been a dream and that he remained grateful for the opportunity to serve.
The Florida Highway Patrol did not respond to News 6’s questions about whether it had conducted an internal review of Provencher’s handling of the stop or how it would address concerns about possible preferential treatment.
That unanswered question may be the most important part of the story now.
Police officers have discretion in many traffic stops, and not every person traveling at an extreme speed will necessarily be arrested, but the video shows Provencher explicitly saying he did not want to “ruin” another deputy’s job before reducing a 111 mph encounter to a ticket for 74 mph.
The Case Raises A Basic Question About Equal Treatment
The controversy is not simply that Fultz was speeding.
It is that the same conduct may have produced a very different result if the rider had not been recognized as a fellow law enforcement officer.
Provencher’s own recorded comments make that concern difficult to dismiss, even though he later told investigators he had discretion to issue a warning or citation.
DeForest’s report also noted that FHP and the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office had recently been working together on a campaign aimed at reducing dangerous speeding, with Sheriff Ivey publicly warning drivers to slow down or face consequences.
Against that backdrop, an off-duty deputy traveling 111 mph and then receiving a citation for only 9 mph over the limit creates an obvious credibility problem.
Fultz has since left the sheriff’s office and acknowledged wrongdoing, but the larger issue remains whether the law was applied the same way it would have been to an ordinary driver under the same circumstances.
That question is now left hanging over both the traffic stop and the agencies involved in it.
Ed spent his childhood in the backwoods of Maine, where harsh winters taught him the value of survival skills. With a background in bushcraft and off-grid living, Ed has honed his expertise in fire-making, hunting, and wild foraging. He writes from personal experience, sharing practical tips and hands-on techniques to thrive in any outdoor environment. Whether it’s primitive camping or full-scale survival, Ed’s advice is grounded in real-life challenges.
