Driving with a suspended license is considered a serious criminal offense in Florida. Under Section 322.34, Florida statutes, driving with a suspended license can result in hefty fines, felony charges, and even jail time.
CONSEQUENCES
· First Offense: 2nd-degree misdemeanor, up to 60 days in jail, maximum $500 fine.
· Second Offense: 1st-degree misdemeanor, up to 1 year in jail, maximum $1,000 fine.
· Third or Subsequent Offense: 3rd-degree felony, up to five years in prison, maximum $5,000 fine.
Sometimes a license suspension is more related to financial burden than to bad driving behavior.
REASONS FOR LICENSE SUSPENSION
· Child support delinquency
· Points on your license
· Failure to Appear in Court
· Failure to maintain continuous insurance coverage
· Failure to pay fines, court costs, or judgments
· Drug-related conviction
· DUI arrest or conviction
· DUI refusal
· Petit theft conviction
· Habitual traffic offender classification
· Plea to racing on highways charge
Unfortunately too often, unrepresented Florida drivers plead to Suspended License charges without knowing the long-term consequences for their driving privileges and criminal record. At Casanova Law, we know how to defend suspended license cases, and we will employ the best strategic defense to minimize potential penalties and avoid damage to reputation and bank account.
COMMON DEFENSES
· Challenge to the legal validity of the traffic stop;
· Accused was unaware of the suspension, cancellation or revocation;
· Accused was not driving;
· Accused’s license had been reinstated or accused had adequate reason to believe it was reinstated;
· Accused was not driving on a public highway;
· Vehicle was not considered a “motor vehicle” for purposes of the driver’s license statute.
If we cannot settle on a viable defense to consider, your legal team will negotiate to have the charge amended to a civil citation.
If you are accused of driving with a suspended license, your first course of action should be to contact the South Florida criminal traffic legal professionals at Casanova Law.
Leading Attorney Lourdes Casanova has extensive experience defending criminal traffic cases and understands the threat that something as seemingly simple as a traffic citation can pose to your freedom, future, finances, and immigration status.
