A DUI arrest in the state of Florida can be devastating. It can have a long-term effect on your future, including your prospects for employment, or even continuing at the job you already have. For many, a valid driver’s license is necessary for work. Truck drivers and taxi operators come to mind immediately, but other professions require that workers drive regularly. For example, Fort Lauderdale DUI Lawyer William Moore drives to court. Even driving just to get to your place of employment is important, as is driving children or other family members to school, doctor’s appointments, and the like.
After a driver is arrested for driving under the influence in Florida, he or she has only 10 days in which to formally challenge the administrative suspension of his or her drivers license by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Broward DUI Lawyer William Moore provides representation at these hearings. The arresting law enforcement officer may appear at the hearing and provide testimony regarding the reasons for the traffic stop. The administrative suspension of the drivers license is a separate matter from the criminal case. In fact, even if a defendant goes to trial and is found not guilty of DUI by a judge or jury, the driver’s license suspension by the FDHSMV is not invalidated at that point. If the defendant did not successfully challenge the suspension in the 10 day period following the arrest, the drivers license will not be reinstated until after the suspension period runs and the defendant applies for reinstatement with the FDHSMV, according to Broward DUI Lawyer William Moore.
It is important to remember not to drive unless your license is valid. Drivers licenses can be suspended for failure to pay tickets, a DUI arrest, and having child support in arrears. However, driving with a suspended license may sound like a simple traffic ticket, but is actually a fairly serious criminal matter. It is not uncommon in many jurisdictions in Florida for the prosecutor to seek significant time in jail — for instance, 30 days — simply for an arrest for operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license. Such an arrest could also constitute a violation of the terms of dui probation, which usually includes reporting, attending DUI school, attending a victim impact panel, the payment of various fees and fines, and not driving or picking up new criminal charges. In terms of operation of a motor vehicle in violation of a drivers license suspension, the definition of what constitutes a motor vehicle can also be fairly broad, encompassing many of the scooters popular to cruise around the beach in Fort Lauderdale.