Officers will be looking for alcohol and drug impaired drivers along with other traffic violations including drivers license, registration, insurance, and equipment violations.

If you are out partying tonight in St. Petersburg or Pinellas park DO NOT drink and drive and be extrememly careful traveling through  the Kenneth city DUI Checkpoint area.

Read the whole story here.

If you or a friend is charged with a DUI you will need an aggressive and experienced DUI Defense Lawyer. The DUI Defense Lawyers at Finebloom & Haenel have the qualifications and experience to receive the most favorable outcome for your DUI case so make sure and call us today at 1-800-Fight-It!

The custom of imbibing on alcohol during St. Patrick’s day is due to an old legend.  As the legend goes, St. Patrick convinced an innkeeper to be more generous with his whiskey pours to keep a monstrous devil from destroying the innkeeper.   In Pinellas and Hillsborough Counties (similar to locations worldwide), St. Patrick’s day contributes to such imbibing, and involves multiple pub crawls, drinking festivities and plenty of ‘green’ beer.   In Tampa, there are several locations to encourage the “Irish spirit.”

In Pinellas County, law enforcement plan to have a checkpoint on Friday night at 29582 US 19 N in Clearwater.  In Hillsborough County, sheriff’s officers and Tampa police will be on heightened patrol throughout the county.   If you or someone you know is arrested for DUI this weekend, contact one of  our qualified DUI Lawyers immediately.  Finebloom & Haenel has offices in Sarasota, Tampa and Clearwater and we are here to help.  Call 800-344-4848 and speak to one of our lawyers.

They will be checking to make sure you are sober and that you have a valid drivers license.

The legal Blood Alcohol Limit if you are over 21 is .08

The legal Blood Alcohol Limit if you are under 21 is .02

Drive Safe Tonight!

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20120313/BREAKING/120319847/2627?Title=FHP-conducting-DUI-checkpoint-in-Venice-tonight

If an officer thinks you are under the influence of marijuana, they will ask you to submit to a urine test. If you do not submit to an approved urine test, your license may be suspended for a period of one year. After giving a urine sample, the officer will perform a preliminary test at the jail to see if it tests positive for marijuana. Then the rest of the sample is usually sent to a lab inTallahasseefor confirmation testing.

If you have been arrested for DUI and the allegation was that you were under the influence of marijuana you need an experienced lawyer to represent you! There are several defenses available that may not be explored if you don’t. These defenses may result in a better outcome for your case. So be sure to hire an attorney who has tried marijuana DUI cases.

To put that in simpler terms, if you take any drugs that affect your driving, you can get a DUI. The law does not make an exception for prescription medication. It does not matter that you took your medication as directed. The officers can still arrest you and you can still be convicted.

If you have been arrested for DUI while taking prescription medication call an attorney immediately. There are several defenses that may be available to you. If you don’t contact an attorney you may not be able to take advantage of these defenses.

1. You will need to completeDUISchooland any recommended treatment. If you do not complete the school or attend all sessions of treatment recommended by the evaluator you will not be able to obtain a license. If you complete the school, but wait over 90 days to complete the treatment, you will need to take the class all over again before getting a license.
2. You will need to obtain the proper insurance. In most cases this means obtaining an SR-22 policy.
3. If an ignition interlock device was ordered, you will need to install it in the vehicle you drive. This includes any vehicles you may drive for work.
4. In some cases a hearing is required. The hearing is usually required for a second DUI (or more) or if you obtained a DUI while under the age of 21. If you have been told that you need an administrative hearing prior to reinstating your license you will need to contact the nearest administrative review office. They will then determine whether or not the license will be issued.
5. You will need to pay a reinstatement fee.

Once these steps are completed you will be able to obtain a valid license. NOTE: If you have outstanding court costs or fines from your DUI case, you will not be able to obtain a license. Everything must be paid before you can reinstate.

1. What percentage of your practice is dedicated to DUI defense? The higher the percentage, the more likely it is that the attorney has litigated complicated DUI issues. The more an attorney practices in a certain area, the more the attorney knows about it.
2. How many DUI cases have you brought to trial? A good DUI attorney should not be afraid to try a case. Picking juries and presenting evidence is a skill that gets better every time an attorney does a trial. The more a lawyer goes to trial, the more comfortable they become with the process. When the attorney is comfortable with what they know and what they do, you will be more comfortable too.
3. Have you kept up with current trends in DUI enforcement? The best DUI attorneys are the ones who keep up with the newest methods that law enforcement uses to make a DUI arrest. These methods change with time. The best attorneys keep up with the changes.
4. Will you represent me at my DMV hearing? If you hire an attorney within the 10 period needed to challenge the license suspension from a DUI arrest, then that attorney should represent you at the hearing. Important information is gained at these hearings that can help your case later. In addition, it may help you keep your driving privilege.
5. Are you available to answer my questions? You are the one who is arrested and the outcome of the case affects you. Make sure your attorney will take the time to answer all of your questions. Also make sure they will be willing to answer your call or e-mail rather than send you to an answering service.

Many times people want to know “how many cases have you won?” An attorney should not be afraid to answer this question. HOWEVER winning is not always a good indicator of a good attorney. It is always the client’s decision whether or not to go to trial. The attorney may tell the client he does not have a good case, but if the client wants to go to trial then the attorney goes to trial. The same is true with good cases. If the attorney tells the client “I think you can win at trial” but the client does not want the stress, then the attorney can not take the case to trial. So it is better to ask the attorney how many favorable outcomes they have gotten for their client.

If an attorney is unwilling to answer these questions then they are not a good attorney for you! Make sure the attorney you hire knows the law. But more importantly, make sure they are willing to take the time to know a little bit about you.

#2 – Challenge the stop. If the officer had no reason to pull you over, any information that was learned after the pull might be thrown out. This includes field sobriety exercises and breath test results.

#3 – Challenge the field sobriety exercises. Did the officer have any training in administering the exercises? Did the officer administer the exercises correctly? Do you have a physical disability that explains your poor performance? Did you perform well on the exercises but the officer took you in anyway?  These are all questions that can affect the outcome of your case.

#4 – Challenge the HGN. HGN stands for Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus. Most people who are not familiar with HGN refer to this exercise as “the eye test” or “the thing with the light in your eyes.” HGN is very specialized and can give an inaccurate result if it is not done exactly right. If the officer was not certified to perform HGN, or if the HGN was done incorrectly, the State may not be able to use it against you.

#5 – Challenge the breath test. In order to be able to ask for a breath test, the officer must have a reason to think you are impaired by alcohol. Before you take the test, the officer must read you the implied consent and observe a 20 minute observation period. Then a licensed operator must administer the test properly with an authorized machine. If any of these steps are not done properly, it can help your case.

#6 – Challenge the urine test. Urine tests are not always necessary. There are rules that tell an officer when it is proper to ask for a urine sample. A good attorney knows the rules. If the officer breaks the rules, then the attorney can ask the judge to throw out the results.

#7 – Challenge the blood results. Did a nurse or an officer take a blood sample from you? The Florida Supreme Court has ruled that your blood can only be taken under very specific circumstances. If your blood was not taken under an approved circumstance and in an approved manner, then the results can’t be used against you. If the blood results can’t be used, you may be able to beat your DUI charge.

By challenging all of the evidence that the State plans to use against you, a good attorney can help you beat your DUI case.

Gasparilla events include the “Gasparilla Invasion,” the Gasparilla Invasion Brunch,” and the “Parade Fest Street Festival” along with live music, food, costumes and partying.  And drinking.   Drinking has become synonymous with the Gasparilla festivities and it seems everyone participating imbibes on the ‘liquid pirate booty.’   In response to the partying, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office seeks to protect those people on the roads through Hillsborough County and will be conducting “Operation 3D,” a public awareness campaign meaning Don’t Drink & Drive.”   HCSO deputies will be on the lookout for drunk drivers, specifically tonight, January 26^th.  There will be a checkpoint and deputy “saturation” in District II, Eastern Hillsborough County, State Road 60 and Parsons Avenue.

A DUI is a serious offense and the ramifications on your driving privileges and your livelihood can be severe.   If you or someone you know gets arrested for DUI and you want to know your rights, contact criminal defense DUI attorney Stephen Higgins at Stephen@fightyorucase.com  or call at 813-649-869, with offices at 3426 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa, FL 33609. www.FightYourTampaDUI.com

1)      Do you have specialized training in DUI investigation techniques, drug recognition and field sobriety exercises?

2)      Are you an engineering expert who specializes in the inner workings of the Intoxilyzer 8000 including, but not limited to, software problems, the effect of air volume on BAC levels and the effects of electrical disruption and radio waves on BAC sampling?

3)      Do you have experience in estimating the physiological affect of alcohol on the human body?

4)      Are you trained in the rules of evidence and trial advocacy?

Unless you answered yes to all of those questions, you need a lawyer for your DUI! In today’s DUI world, having a lawyer who specializes in DUI defense is essential if you want to win your case.

Winning your DUI case depends on technical and biological knowledge. Police departments spend thousands of dollars to send their officers to specialized courses to have them labeled as “experts” in the field of DUI. The State ofFloridahas “experts” on the payroll who are paid to come to court to explain to juries how breath testing machines work. Other “experts” are paid to tell the jury how reliable breath test results are.

If you do not have an experienced attorney who knows more than the state’s “experts” you will lose your DUI case!! In order to win you need an attorney who has knowledge in all off the areas described above. Only experienced attorneys who have tried several DUI cases will have the experience needed to challenge all of the aspects of your case from the arrest to the test results. Don’t do it alone. Hire an attorney who focuses on DUI defense.