DUI attorney

July 15, 2018

Officials to Re-Evaluate Florida Marijuana DUI Campaign

By The Law Offices of Richard Ansara, P.A.

Since the passage of Amendment 2 in 2016, Florida lawmakers have been trying to weed through the state’s already-complex marijuana statutes to hammer out new rules for growing, processing, distributing and possessing/ using the plant. Some individual cities have adopted their own ordinances with regard to recreational marijuana, which has led to many people being confused about what’s legal and what isn’t in Florida.

What we can say for certain is that Amendment 2 did NOT:

Alter Florida’s drug possession laws;
Change the fact that you can be arrested for driving under the influence of marijuana – medical or not;
Grant permission for the public consumption/ smoking of the drug;
Have any impact on federal law, which expressly prohibits marijuana possession and distribution, regardless of purpose.

March 20, 2018

Successful DUI Appeal in Florida Requires Good Defense Attorney

By The Law Offices of Richard Ansara, P.A.

If you have been charged and convicted of a DUI in Florida, that’s not necessarily the end of the story. Depending on the circumstances and the details of your trial or plea deal, there could be an opportunity to appeal the conviction or the sentence – but you’ll need a good DUI defense lawyer to be successful.

It’s important to note that not all cases will be ripe for appeal, and simply not liking the sentence or the permanence of a DUI conviction on your record won’t be enough. Typically, there has to be some kind of error made during the trial or sentencing in order to file a successful appeal of a DUI conviction. Because there are stringent time limits (usually just 30 days post-conviction) in which to file, it’s imperative you contact a lawyer as soon as possible.

Recently in Escambia County, Florida’s First District Court of Appeal upheld a 15-year prison sentence for a man convicted of a 2013 crash that resulted in the death of a passenger. Defendant was convicted of DUI manslaughter, which under F.S. 316.193 carries a maximum penalty of 15 years, as it is a second-degree felony. The fact that he was also convicted of DUI property damage meant that his sentence was longer than most for first-time offenders, though the judge did allow him to serve these terms concurrently (at the same time) rather than consecutively (back-to-back). Continue reading

November 15, 2017

Benefits of Getting Your Florida DUI Reduced to Reckless Driving

By The Law Offices of Richard Ansara, P.A.

Following a Fort Lauderdale DUI arrest, the primary goal of our DUI defense attorneys is to challenge the charge outright and secure a dismissal or not guilty verdict. However, when the unfavorable evidence is substantial and chances of that are slim, we may adjust our strategy to negotiate with prosecutors, requesting to amend the charge from DUI to the less serious offense of reckless driving.

This is precisely what golf pro Tiger Woods did after his Florida DUI arrest in Palm Beach County earlier this year. Authorities arrested him after he was reportedly found passed out at the wheel of his vehicle. He was accused of intoxication with prescription drugs and marijuana. There was no alcohol in his system. He would later release a statement saying he was attempting to self-medicate to relieve pain from a previous back surgery and insomnia.

By pleading down to reckless driving, F.S. 316.192, as opposed to DUI, F.S. 316.193, defendants can avoid many of the negative consequences that accompany the more serious charge. Continue reading

September 2, 2017

The Nurse, The Deputy and the Warrantless Blood Draw

By The Law Offices of Richard Ansara, P.A.

In an explosive video that went viral recently, a Utah nurse is manhandled and arrested by a sheriff’s deputy, irate that the charge nurse refused to take a blood sample from an unconscious patient absent a warrant. He threatened her with charges like obstruction of justice. However, such charges won’t prevail when the officer’s initial directive was unlawful.

As our criminal DUI defense lawyers in Fort Lauderdale well know, the nurse was absolutely in the right. As the nurse states correctly in the video, from a constitutional standpoint, a person’s blood is his or her property. Any non-consensual search or seizure of it is subject to approval from a judge in the form of a warrant, barring exigent circumstances.

In this case, no such circumstances existed because, first of all, the badly-burned, unconscious patient in question, a truck driver, was not suspected of any wrong-doing. In fact, he is believed to be the victim of a drunk driver who swerved into the trucker’s lane of traffic, causing the rig to burst into flames, resulting in serious injury to the trucker. (The suspected impaired driver died at the scene of the crash.) Continue reading

August 15, 2017

Pleading Down to Reckless Driving After Florida DUI

By The Law Offices of Richard Ansara, P.A.

Recently, pro-golfer Tiger Woods agreed to plead guilty to reckless driving and enter a diversion program, in exchange for prosecutors dropping DUI charges against him.

ESPN reports the Florida DUI arrest occurred after Woods was found sleeping in his sports car, allegedly under the influence of sleeping medication and painkillers. No alcohol was found in his system. Following the diversion program, he will have the opportunity to ask the judge to expunge the reckless driving conviction.

As our DUI defense attorneys can explain, this is a somewhat typical outcome in a case like this in cases where:

Defendant has no prior criminal record;
Defendant did not harm anyone or cause property damage;
Prosecutors may not have the strongest case (i.e., intoxication via drugs is tougher to prove than alcohol impairment);
One is represented by an experienced attorney.

August 6, 2017

South Florida DUI Manslaughter Trial Ends in Plea Deal for 9 Years

By The Law Offices of Richard Ansara, P.A.

A South Florida man has been sentenced to nine years in prison on DUI manslaughter charges after accepting a plea deal to avoid harsher prison time after a fatal crash that claimed the life of an 85-year-old dentist.

The Palm Beach Post reports defendant will have to serve at least six years in prison following his release from prison. The last-minute deal halted the impending trial, which could have resulted in defendant receiving up to 15 years in prison, per F.S. 316.193. DUI manslaughter in Florida carries a minimum mandatory penalty of four years in prison, with a maximum of 15 years. This maximum penalty could be increased if the individual also flees or tries to flee the scene. In that case, it’s considered a first-degree felony, carrying a maximum 30 years behind bars.

Having an experienced defense lawyer can help increase your odds of a favorable outcome – or at least minimize the chances of spending more than a decade behind bars. Continue reading

July 14, 2017

South Florida Vehicular Homicide Leads to 7-Year Prison Stint

By The Law Offices of Richard Ansara, P.A.

A DUI manslaughter conviction can upend your life, have you facing extensive prison time as well as a damaging and permanent criminal record. Criminal defense attorneys in Fort Lauderdale recognize the severity of these allegations, and will work to help you fight back against these serious charges. There may be a mountain of evidence against you, but the burden of proof is on the prosecution. Your defense lawyer can be the deciding factor in the outcome of your case by challenging the veracity of that evidence. In some cases, it may make more sense to negotiate a plea deal, something that will result in a lesser charge or a lesser penalty. It will depend on the individual facts of your case.

Recently in South Florida, a young man was convicted of vehicular homicide following a crash that claimed the life of another young person, a medical student. For this, The Miami Herald reported, he was sentenced to seven years in prison. A previous DUI manslaughter charge had to be dropped after critical errors by Florida state troopers.

F.S. 316.193 is Florida’s driving under the influence statute. Per this provision, any person who is drunk or impaired behind the wheel and causes the death of any human being – including an “unborn quick child” (i.e., the child could have survived outside the womb), you will be convicted of a felony of the second-degree, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. It is bumped up to a first-degree felony if you fled the scene of the crash (i.e., committed a hit-and-run).

Meanwhile, vehicular homicide is spelled out in F.S. 782.071. Continue reading

May 18, 2017

Florida Woman Accused of DUI with Child in Car

By The Law Offices of Richard Ansara, P.A.

From time to time, drivers in the Fort Lauderdale area will get arrested on suspicion of DUI when they have a child in the car. Whether it’s a teenager or a small child, the charges imposed will likely be the same.

Whenever this happens, the prosecutor tries to make it seem like the driver is the worst parent in the world. They may even threaten to charge the driver with additional charges related to child endangerment or neglect. But those accused in these situations need to bear in mind that neglect charges are typically predicated on the underlying DUI charge, which requires proof of intoxication or impairment. This is an assertion we can work to challenge. Continue reading