Fort Myers DMV Hearing Attorneys

DUI Defense Lawyers

Following a Lee County DUI arrest, you have only 10 days to contact the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) to schedule a hearing regarding the suspension/revocation of your license. This hearing is often referred to as a DMV hearing, administrative license suspension hearing, ALS hearing or DHSMV hearing.

A DUI defense attorney can represent you at your DMV hearing in order to help you reach a better outcome. While this is an administrative hearing and does not require that you work with a defense lawyer, the benefits of professional representation are great. In representing you at your DMV hearing, your lawyer will need to prepare a defense strategy just as he or she would in defending your rights in criminal court. This means that your criminal case will likely benefit because you got an attorney involved early on in investigating your charges and the circumstances of your case.

Fort Myers, Florida License Suspension and DUI

Following are the standard Florida license suspension penalties for DUI (driving under the influence) convictions:

• First DUI Conviction: 180 days to 1 year
• Second DUI Conviction (within 5 years): 5 year minimum revocation
• Third DUI Conviction (within 10 years): 10 year minimum revocation
• Fourth DUI Conviction (at any time): mandatory permanent license revocation

Administrative License Suspension Hearings in Florida

A driver is entitled to request an administrative hearing to challenge the suspension or revocation of his or her driver’s license following a DUI arrest. The outcome of this hearing, however, will not affect any criminal court proceedings, just as the outcome of criminal proceedings will not affect a license suspension hearing.

Having a driver’s license is considered to be a privilege, not a right. As such, this can be taken away from you if you do not fight. By working with a Fort Myers DUI attorney who is knowledgeable and experienced in representing clients in DMV hearings, you will have a much better chance of keeping your license after a drunk driving arrest.

Contact a Fort Myers DMV hearing lawyer at Musca Law today to discuss your DUI charges and driver’s license suspension.