Upper Grand Lagoon DUI Lawyer

Why a deputy, not city police, makes the arrest

Upper Grand Lagoon is not part of any city. Because it is unincorporated, law enforcement there is the Bay County Sheriff's Office, and a DUI stop around Thomas Drive or Grand Lagoon is commonly made by a deputy rather than a city officer.

Thomas Drive also runs into Panama City Beach, and the line between the community and the city is easy to miss. The agency on the paperwork, deputy or city officer, tells the defense where to look for reports, video and breath records.

Breath tests and implied consent after a deputy's arrest

After a DUI arrest anywhere in Florida, implied consent applies: by driving, a person is deemed to have agreed to a lawful breath test. Refusing has its own consequences. A first refusal means a one year administrative suspension; a second refusal means an 18 month suspension and a first degree misdemeanor charge.

A refusal can also be used as evidence at trial. If a test was given, it would be on the Intoxilyzer 8000, with a 20 minute observation period required first. The implied consent suspension applies to the breath test after arrest, not to field sobriety exercises at the roadside.

Bay County court for an unincorporated community

Being outside city limits does not change where the criminal case goes. An Upper Grand Lagoon DUI is filed in county court and heard at the Bay County Courthouse in Panama City, in Florida's Fourteenth Judicial Circuit.

The license suspension is separate. The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) handles it, and you have 10 days from the arrest to request a formal review hearing. Without that request, the suspension takes effect.

Being so close to the beach also means some people arrested here are visiting. A DUI is prosecuted where the arrest happened, not where the driver lives, and a Florida suspension can be reported to the driver's home state.

Reaching the firm from the lagoon area

The firm takes cases in Upper Grand Lagoon but has no Bay County office. Its offices are in Orlando and Satellite Beach, and calls are answered 24 hours a day, including late at night and on weekends.

Upper Grand Lagoon at a glance

County: Bay County
Court: The Bay County Courthouse in Panama City
Circuit: Florida's Fourteenth Judicial Circuit
The firm has no office in Bay County; its offices are in Orlando and Satellite Beach. See our offices.

Other Bay County cities

General information only, not legal advice. Every case depends on its own facts, and prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

Upper Grand Lagoon DUI questions

Upper Grand Lagoon is unincorporated, so the Bay County Sheriff's Office provides law enforcement there. Thomas Drive also runs into Panama City Beach, where the city's own police department patrols, so the agency depends on exactly where the stop happened. Either way, the case goes to the Bay County Courthouse in Panama City.

No. Upper Grand Lagoon is an unincorporated community, not part of the city of Panama City Beach. For the case itself the difference is mostly about the arresting agency, since both places are in Bay County and both send DUI cases to the Bay County Courthouse in the Fourteenth Judicial Circuit.

No. The administrative suspension is handled by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles no matter which agency made the arrest. There are 10 days from the arrest to request a formal review hearing, and if no request is made, the suspension takes effect.

Free Case Review

Talk to a former prosecutor now.

Confidential case review, available 24 hours a day.

Call (954) 737-1664 Send a Message