Driving with a suspended license is a serious charge, and can result in jail time even for a first offense. It can get you by surprise if your license was suspended without your knowledge, which happens, or if you believe that your license had been reinstated but it didn’t show up as such when the officer checked it.
Too many defendants plead guilty to driving with a suspended license, just to get it over with or because they think they can’t afford an attorney, but the consequences of a conviction can be far costlier than you realize. There are many defenses an experienced criminal defense attorney may raise in order to get the charge dismissed, and if none of the defenses apply to you, your attorney may be able to negotiate a lesser charge that will be less damaging.
Defenses
Depending on the circumstances in your case, there are many potential defenses to a charge of driving with a suspended license. Examples include:
- Officer did not have a legally valid reason to stop you
- Your driver’s license had already been reinstated at the time of the stop
- You had reason to believe that your license had been reinstated
- You did not know that your license was suspended
- You were not on a street or highway as defined by Florida law
- The vehicle you were operating was not a motor vehicle as defined by Florida law
- You were not even driving
If you have been charged with driving with a suspended license, please do not simply plead guilty. Protect yourself and your future by talking to an experienced criminal defense attorney right away.
This blog post was submitted on behalf of the law firm of Syprett, Meshad, Resnick, Lieb, Dumbaugh, Jones, Krotec & Westheimer in Sarasota, Florida. Please contact the firm if you have questions about your rights in Florida.
