The 10-day deadline after a Florida DUI arrest, your three choices, how formal review hearings are won, the first-DUI waiver, the Tampa hearing office, and conviction revocations.
Continue reading ›From First DUI to Death Penalty
The 10-day deadline after a Florida DUI arrest, your three choices, how formal review hearings are won, the first-DUI waiver, the Tampa hearing office, and conviction revocations.
Continue reading ›Since October 1, 2025, refusing a breath or urine test is a crime in Florida even the first time. The five elements, Birchfield and blood tests, recent cases, and the 10-day license deadline.
Continue reading ›Updated November 8, 2026 Short answer: Typical flat fees charged by criminal defense firms in the Tampa Bay area run $3,500 to $7,500 for a first DUI and $5,000 to $8,500 for a second DUI. Some firms charge a separate trial fee on top of that; The Brancato Law Firm charges one flat fee for…
Continue reading ›How retrograde extrapolation estimates BAC at the time of driving, what Florida courts say about it, and how a toxicologist and a reconstructionist won a DUI manslaughter acquittal.
Continue reading ›How Florida’s Intoxilyzer inspection and repair rules work, what State v. Kilburn held, what changed on July 1, 2026, and how our attorneys challenge breath test results.
Continue reading ›How Florida courts treat field sobriety exercises, when an officer can ask for them, what refusing means, and how our attorneys challenge roadside DUI evidence in Tampa.
Continue reading ›Updated November 6, 2026 A drug recognition expert (DRE) is a police officer trained to decide whether a driver is impaired by drugs rather than alcohol, and which of seven drug categories is most likely responsible. In Florida, officers are certified through a program run by the Institute of Police Technology and Management at the…
Continue reading ›Updated November 6, 2026 Only in two situations: you actually consent, or a court later finds true exigent circumstances based on the specific facts of your case. Otherwise, officers need a warrant. On September 2, 2026, Florida’s Fourth District Court of Appeal in State v. Marlin affirmed the suppression of a forced blood draw in…
Continue reading ›Updated November 8, 2026 Key Takeaway: Only by clearing real legal hurdles. Your hospital records are protected by Florida’s constitutional right of privacy, and prosecutors cannot subpoena them without a court’s approval, proper notice to you, and a demonstrated connection — a “nexus” — between the records and the investigation. Florida’s appellate courts have quashed…
Continue reading ›Completely rewritten and updated September 1, 2026. Originally published February 22, 2026. Key Takeaway: DUI manslaughter under section 316.193(3)(c)3., Florida Statutes, is driving under the influence and, by that operation, causing or contributing to the death of another person or an unborn child. It is a second-degree felony with a 4-year mandatory minimum prison term…
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