FLORIDA LAW
Driving While License Suspended or Revoked is governed by Florida Statute 322.34. To be in violation of this statute, one must knowingly drive while their license is suspended or revoked. If you are driving while your license is suspended, but you were unaware it was suspended/revoked, you may have a defense to this charge.
PENALTIES FOR DRIVING WITH A SUSPENDED LICENSE
Driving While License Suspended or Revoked is an enhanceable offense. This means that the penalties get subsequently harsher for one who has previously been convicted of this offense. If it is the first time you have been charged under this statute, it is likely being charged as a second degree misdemeanor. This means it is punishable by up to sixty (60) days in jail and/or six (6) months of probation. The second offense of Driving While License Suspended or Revoked will be charged as a first degree misdemeanor, punishable by up to one (1) year in jail and/or one (1) year of probation. The second offense will be charged as a first degree misdemeanor regardless of whether one received a withhold of adjudication on the previous offense. A third offense or more will be charged as a third degree felony, punishable by up to five (5) years in prison and/or five (5) years of probation.
HABITUAL TRAFFIC OFFENDERS (HTO)
In addition to the criminal ramifications described above, driving while license suspended or revoked is a qualifying offense for making one an habitual traffic offender (HTO). If you have three qualifying offenses, you may be designated an habitual traffic offender and lose your license for a period of five (5) years with no ability to get a business purpose license. As such, these offenses can have very serious consequences.
CONTACT US
Contact the Key West Law Office of Robertson & Hunter, LLP for a free consultation to discuss your driving while license suspended or revoked charge. These types of charges may have long term effects on your driver’s license that are not apparent in a normal plea agreement.
Note that there are other traffic offenses that one may be charged with for not having a valid license. These include, but are not limited to, No Valid Driver’s License, Driving While License Expired more than four months, etc. The Law Office of Robertson & Hunter, LLP is well qualified to assist you with any driver’s license related charge. Contact us today for a free consultation.
Both the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office and the Key West Police Department aggressively pursue driving while license suspended cases. If you have been arrested for a driving while license suspended charge, contact the experienced Florida Keys Criminal Defense Attorneys at the Law Office of Robertson & Hunter, LLP for a consultation regarding your driving while license suspended case today.