At the Law Offices of Mark L. Horwitz, in Orlando, Florida, our attorneys have experience representing people arrested or charged with all types of driving offenses such as drunk driving. A drunk driving conviction in Florida, which is sometimes referred to as driving under the influence (DUI) or driving while intoxicated (DWI), affects a person and his or her family in a number of different ways including:

• Ability to obtain financial aid if you are a student
• Alcohol assessment and treatment
• Community service and probation
• Criminal record
• Fines and increased insurance rates
• Job loss
• Mandatory jail or prison sentence
• Suspension or revocation of driver license
• Vehicle immobilization or forfeiture

DMV License Suspensions

In Florida, if you have been arrested for DUI and your breath test result was .08 or higher, or if you refused to take the breath test, the arresting officer probably took your driver's license from you. You have only 10 days from the date of arrest to request a formal review hearing with the Department of Motor Vehicles to contest your immediate license suspension and attempt to get your license back. If you fail to request the hearing with the 10-day period, your license will be suspended for a period of 6 months, 1 year, or 18 months, depending on your specific circumstances.

It is important to contact an Orlando DUI lawyer within that 10-day period to discuss what applies to your case. We can apply for the formal review hearing on your behalf and obtain a hearing date and a temporary permit to drive. You have only 10 days to drive after you are arrested (using your citation as a driving permit) unless you request this hearing.

If you have been arrested for drunk driving, driving under the influence (DUI), driving while intoxicated (DWI) or any other alcohol or drug-related crime, please contact the Orlando DUI lawyers at the Law Offices of Mark L. Horwitz, P.A. today. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, providing you with immediate access to legal representation. We maintain flexible office hours, and keep clients personally informed of the status of their case.

Punishment for DUI increases with each additional conviction. A person convicted of 3 previous DUIs is facing a felony on the fourth conviction with a maximum of 5 years in prison. The Supreme Court of Florida set forth an important opinion which protects people whose prior convictions were without an attorney.

It is important that you have an attorney in any DUI case even if it is not your first.

To learn about this important Florida Supreme Case, click here.

It is important to know that a D.U.I. involves both an administrative proceeding and a criminal case. In order to keep your license you must be successful in both.

To learn about all of the legal proceedings when you get a D.U.I., click here.