Fort Lauderdale DUI Lawyer

Late nights on Las Olas and the beach

Fort Lauderdale's nightlife spreads across downtown, Las Olas Boulevard and the beach, and that brings heavy traffic after dark. DUI stops are commonly made by the Fort Lauderdale Police Department on Las Olas, A1A, US 1 (Federal Highway) and I-95, often after an officer reports speeding, weaving or another traffic issue.

From there, an officer may ask questions, request field sobriety exercises and, after an arrest, request a breath test on the Intoxilyzer 8000. Each step should be documented, and much of it may be on video.

Was the stop itself lawful?

Every DUI case starts with the reason for the stop. Police need reasonable suspicion to pull a driver over, and if a stop was made without it, a motion to suppress asks the court to exclude the evidence that followed.

In a busy nightlife district, the questions about a stop are often concrete: what the officer actually saw, when, and whether the video matches the written report. The defense receives reports, breath records and video in discovery, and Florida allows depositions of witnesses in criminal cases. In misdemeanor cases, which include most first and second DUIs, depositions are more limited and generally need a showing of good cause.

Where Fort Lauderdale DUI cases are heard

The Broward County Courthouse sits in downtown Fort Lauderdale, and it is the main courthouse for Broward criminal cases in the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit. Broward also runs regional courthouses in Deerfield Beach, Hollywood and Plantation, and a lawyer can confirm where each hearing is set.

After an arrest, booking leads to bond or a first appearance before a judge, usually within 24 hours. The criminal case then moves to arraignment, discovery and pretrial hearings in county court.

The criminal case is one track. The other is an administrative suspension handled by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV), with 10 days from the arrest to request a formal review hearing. If the request is not made, the suspension takes effect.

The firm's role in a Broward case

DUI Lawyers Shield Firm takes cases in Fort Lauderdale and across Broward County, but it has no office in Broward. Its offices are in Orlando and Satellite Beach. The firm is led by David Cannady, a former Florida prosecutor admitted to The Florida Bar in 2014, and calls are answered 24 hours a day.

Fort Lauderdale at a glance

County: Broward County
Court: The Broward County Courthouse in downtown Fort Lauderdale (Broward also runs regional courthouses in Deerfield Beach, Hollywood and Plantation)
Circuit: Florida's Seventeenth Judicial Circuit
The firm has no office in Broward County; its offices are in Orlando and Satellite Beach. See our offices.

Other Broward County cities

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

Fort Lauderdale DUI questions

Police need reasonable suspicion to make a traffic stop. If the stop lacked it, a motion to suppress can ask the court to exclude the evidence gathered afterward. Whether that applies depends on what the report and any video show about the driving and the moments before the officer turned on the lights.

Broward criminal cases are heard at the Broward County Courthouse in downtown Fort Lauderdale, and the county also runs regional courthouses in Deerfield Beach, Hollywood and Plantation. A lawyer can confirm where each hearing in your case is set. Wherever it is, the case belongs to the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit.

There is not. The firm takes DUI cases in Fort Lauderdale but has no office in Broward County; its offices are in Orlando and Satellite Beach. Because calls are answered around the clock, a free case review covering the stop, the court process and the 10 day license deadline can happen by phone.

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