CRIMINAL LAW

SUSPENDED LICENSES

Driving an automobile in Florida is not a right, but a privilege. Nearly two thirds of Florida residents today currently have a suspended license. Having the ability to drive can literally mean the difference between putting food on the table and seeing your family go hungry. If you are in Florida driving with a suspended license, we want to help you get your full driving privilege back. Call our Florida traffic lawyers today to find out how we can help you get back behind the wheel, legally!

If you are caught driving on a suspended Florida driver's license or driving without a license you will either receive a civil infraction or criminal violation resulting in jail, depending on whether the officer believes you knew about your suspension at the time of driving. All is not lost if you are caught with a suspended license, as a traffic lawyer from The Law Office of John A. Ramsey, Jr. will explain. Florida law states you may be eligible for a Business Purposes Only hardship license. In order to obtain a hardship license, you should complete an Advance Driver Improvement Course and petition for a hearing at the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles bureau of administrative review. Better yet, our Gainesville traffic attorneys may be able to reinstate your full driving privilege. If you currently have a suspended license in Florida or are facing a potential suspended license, call our office immediately to see if we can get your full driving privileges back!

What happens if you Fail to Pay a Traffic Infraction?

When you are issued a traffic citation in Florida you have 30 days from the date of issuance to either pay the infraction and absorb the points, elect for a voluntary traffic school, or request a hearing before a judge or hearing officer. If you are unsure of your options and need legal advice from a Gainesville Traffic Lawyer, the Law Office of John A. Ramsey, Jr. is dedicated to helping you make the best decision. However, if you fail to do one of these options within that allotted 30-day time frame, the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles will issue what is called a D-6 suspension on your license. If this happens it is likely that the Gainesville Traffic Attorneys at The Law Office of John A. Ramsey, Jr. can get the D-6 suspension removed from your record while getting the case set back on the docket. We will challenge the citation and push to keep the points off your driving record.

Are you a Habitual Traffic Offender (HTO)?

In Florida, your license can be suspended for five years under certain circumstances, without you being eligible for a hardship license for one year dating from the date of suspension. This is called Habitual Traffic Offender or HTO status and our Traffic Lawyers at The Law Office of John A. Ramsey, Jr. are ready and willing to help prevent this from happening to you. Florida will suspend your license for five years for a number of reasons. If you accumulate 15 convictions for moving violations over the course of five years, Florida will classify you as a Habitual Traffic Offender and suspend your license for five years. If you have three major traffic violations in five years, Florida will classify you as a Habitual Traffic Offender. Major traffic violations range from a civil infraction for driving with a Suspended License to committing a felony when driving is involved. If you get a letter from the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles notifying you that you are a Habitual Traffic Offender, contact our Alachua County Traffic Attorneys immediately. We may be able to reverse this process and save your driver's license from a five year suspension.

How does being caught with drugs affect your license privileges?

Florida law commands the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to issue a Driver's License Suspension for any adjudication of guilt on a drug possession charge. Thus, if you are charged with drug possession, regardless of the drug, if adjudicated guilty, you will lose your license for a period of time dependant on the charge and you should get a Gainesville drug lawyer as soon as possible. If this happens, it will be necessary to complete a Driving Under the Influence school prior to petitioning the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles bureau of administrative review for a hardship license. Do not fight these charges alone, contact our Gainesville drug attorneys at The Law Office of John A. Ramsey, Jr. to ensure you do not inadvertently compromise your case.