Miramar DUI Lawyer | Shield Firm

Stops near the county line

The Miramar Police Department commonly makes DUI stops on Miramar Parkway, Red Road, I-75 and Florida's Turnpike. Because the city sits on the Miami-Dade County line, a single drive home can begin in one county and end in the other.

For a DUI case, the line matters. The case is prosecuted in the county where the arrest happened, not where the driver lives or where the evening started. An arrest inside Miramar means a Broward County case in the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit, even for someone who lives just across the line in Miami-Dade.

When there is an earlier DUI on your record

Florida penalties rise with prior convictions. A second DUI within 5 years of a prior conviction carries a mandatory minimum of 10 days in jail and a license revocation of at least 5 years. A third DUI within 10 years of a prior conviction is a third degree felony, with a mandatory minimum of 30 days in jail and a revocation of at least 10 years.

A fourth or later DUI is a third degree felony regardless of timing. Ignition interlock can also be required after repeat offenses, with the length depending on the circumstances.

Depending on the evidence, a DUI may in some cases be resolved as a lesser charge such as reckless driving. That outcome is never automatic.

Broward court and the DHSMV deadline

Broward hears criminal cases at the Broward County Courthouse in downtown Fort Lauderdale and runs regional courthouses in Deerfield Beach, Hollywood and Plantation. Discovery gives the defense the state's evidence, including reports, breath records and video, and Florida allows depositions of witnesses in criminal cases. Those depositions are narrower in misdemeanor cases, including most DUIs, where the defense generally has to show good cause first.

The license is a second track. The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) handles the administrative suspension, and a formal review hearing has to be requested within 10 days of the arrest. If it is not, the suspension takes effect.

Taking a Miramar case from Orlando and Satellite Beach

The firm takes DUI cases in Miramar and throughout Broward County but has no office in the county. Its offices are in Orlando and Satellite Beach, and calls are answered 24 hours a day. Payment plans through Affirm, with $0 down options, are available subject to approval.

Miramar at a glance

County: Broward County
Court: The Broward County Courthouse in 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.

Miramar DUI questions

Broward County. A DUI is prosecuted in the county where the arrest happened, not where the driver lives. Because Miramar is in Broward, the case is part of the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit, with hearings at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale or one of Broward's regional courthouses.

If the new arrest leads to a conviction within 5 years of the prior one, Florida requires at least 10 days in jail and a license revocation of at least 5 years. A third DUI within 10 years of a prior conviction is a third degree felony. A new arrest is still only an accusation, and the evidence has to support the charge.

In some cases, depending on the evidence, a DUI may be resolved as a lesser charge such as reckless driving. It is never automatic. The strength of the stop, the testing and the officer's observations all affect what options exist, which is why the evidence is reviewed closely from the start.

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