How to fight an aggravated battery charge in Florida: what the State must prove, prison scoresheet math, 10-20-Life, and the defenses our Tampa attorneys use.
Continue reading ›From First DUI to Death Penalty
How to fight an aggravated battery charge in Florida: what the State must prove, prison scoresheet math, 10-20-Life, and the defenses our Tampa attorneys use.
Continue reading ›Updated November 2026 Short answer: Child pornography penalties in Florida are charged image by image. For offenses on or after July 1, 2026, knowingly possessing, controlling, or intentionally viewing each image is a separate second-degree felony punishable by up to 15 years under section 827.071(5). Under section 775.0847, a case involving 10 or more images,…
Continue reading ›Fully rewritten and updated October 27, 2026. A mitigation report is a written, documented profile of the person behind a criminal charge, covering family history, trauma, mental and physical health, work, character, and the treatment the person has started since the arrest. Defense lawyers give it to prosecutors and judges to support a reduced charge,…
Continue reading ›Fully rewritten and updated October 23, 2026. Unlawful sexual activity with a minor in Florida is the crime defined by section 794.05, Florida Statutes: a person 24 or older who engages in sexual activity with a 16- or 17-year-old commits a second-degree felony, punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.…
Continue reading ›How Florida classifies crimes, the maximum prison term and fine for each degree, first-degree felonies and withholds, the 44-point scoresheet rule, enhancements, and Hillsborough caseload data.
Continue reading ›Rewrite/update date: October 13, 2026 A downward departure in Florida is a sentence below the lowest permissible sentence on the Criminal Punishment Code scoresheet. To get one, the defense must prove a valid mitigating circumstance by a preponderance of the evidence, and the judge must then decide that a departure is the right sentence. The…
Continue reading ›Updated November 8, 2026 How Florida’s Criminal Punishment Code Can Eliminate the “Trial Penalty” The Critical Rule When your Lowest Permissible Sentence (LPS) exceeds the statutory maximum, the LPS becomes the maximum sentence the court can impose—even after trial. Most people assume that going to trial dramatically increases their sentencing risk. Under Florida’s Criminal Punishment…
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