Having your driver’s license revoked in Sarasota can be a major inconvenience in your life. Using public transportation or rideshares every day can cause you financial issues. If public transportation is not an option, you may have to miss work or social engagements. Luckily, under Florida law it is possible to have your driver’s license restored.
Talking to a Sarasota traffic attorney can help ease the process of license restoration. For any assistance with a traffic issue in Florida, contact Erika Valcarcel, Criminal Defense Lawyer, P.A.. It’s a good idea to discuss your traffic law needs with an attorney from our firm. Traffic law violations go far beyond a simple speeding or parking ticket; you could be facing significant fines, and even imprisonment. Call us at (941) 363-7900, or use our online contact form to speak with a driver’s license restoration lawyer today.
How Long Can Your Driver’s License Be Suspended or Revoked in Sarasota?
Depending on the circumstances surrounding your loss of license, the length of the revocation period can vary. Restoring your Florida driver’s license will require filling out the proper documentation, as well as paying a fine. The process can become slightly more complex depending on the details of your case.
What Are the Penalties for Driving with a Suspended License?
Driving on a suspended driver’s license is taken very seriously by Sarasota prosecutors. If you are caught driving on a suspended driver’s license, you may be facing fines, jail time, and points on your driving record. This can make it more difficult to have your license eventually reinstated – even after you have paid the fines for the original charge and the period of suspension has expired.
Restoring Your Florida Driver’s License
To reinstate your Florida driver’s license, you will have to visit any Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicle office and pay the reinstatement fee. The fee is $45 if your license was suspended, and $75 if you license was revoked. Depending on the offense that led to your license revocation, there may be additional fees you have to pay. Below are the offenses that require additional payment, and their corresponding fee:
- Unpaid parking tickets: $60;
- Offenses related to child support: $60;
- Failure to maintain proper car insurance: $150;
- Offenses related to drugs or alcohol: $130.
Your potential charges don’t stop there. Depending on how your case plays out, you may be on the hook for court costs (and attorney’s fees) in addition to your fines.
Proving You Satisfied Your Summons
The first step in your Sarasota traffic offense case is usually being assigned a court date. This is the date you must appear before the court and plead guilty or not guilty. If you’re license was suspended for any of the following reasons:
- Failing to comply with a summons;
- Failing to appear on your traffic summons;
- Failing to pay a fine; or
- Failing to complete or attend court-ordered traffic school,
Then you will need to provide proof you satisfied your court summons. This proof is required in addition to any of the applicable fees discussed above.
Additional Steps Required by Inadequate Vision
Your Florida driver’s license can also be suspended due to your vision. In order to restore it, you’ll be required to take an eye exam showing you meet the minimum vision requirement to drive in Florida. If you pass the test, you have to send the results to a Florida DMV.
Additional Steps Required by the Accumulation of Too Many Traffic Points
You may face license suspension if too many points accumulate on your license. If your license is so revoked, you will have to take and pass an examination in order to have it restored. In addition to the exam, you will also have to enroll in an advanced driving course. Proof of your enrollment will need to be submitted to the DMV.
How Do You Get Your License Back After a DUI?
Your driver’s license may have been suspended as part of your punishment for a DUI. If this is the case, there may be additional steps you have to take to have your license restored.
Following an arrest for a DUI, you only have 10 days to request an administrative hearing before your license will automatically be suspended. Understand that a license suspension is an administrative penalty; it is totally separate from your criminal case, and you do not have to be proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to lose your driver’s license as a civil punishment.
When you are issued a ticket for a DUI, you will be granted a 10-day temporary driving permit. You are allowed to drive without restrictions to work, school, or anywhere else for the next 10 days after your arrest.
Administrative DMV Hearings
At the DMV hearing regarding your administrative driver’s license suspension, you will have the opportunity to fight to retain your license. If you prevail at the hearing, you will get your license back and be able to drive without restrictions.
If the suspension is upheld, your temporary permit will expire at midnight at the end of the 10-day period from when it was granted. You will be prohibited from driving for 30-90 days after the expiration of your initial temporary permit, and after that time you may request a hardship license, depending on the details of your arrest. You may also elect to waive the administrative hearing, but the suspension will become part of your permanent driving record.
Requesting a Hardship License
If you do not succeed at the administrative hearing, you and your attorney can request a DUI hardship license. Depending on the type of hardship license you apply or qualify for, you may drive for purposes such as:
- Going to and from school
- Attending medical appointments
- Driving to and from work
- Driving for work if your job requires it
- Driving to and from religious services and activities
What if I’m Found Not Guilty of DUI at Trial?
If your criminal case makes it to trial and you are found not guilty, this does not mean that your driving privileges are automatically reinstated.
You can get a certified copy of the verdict from the clerk’s office and present it to the office of driver control. If you have no other holds on your license such as unpaid child support or failure to appear for court, your license will be reinstated after the DMV office processes your request.
Contact Erika Valcarcel, Criminal Defense Lawyer, P.A. for Help Getting Your License Back
A traffic attorney will be able to make the process of restoring your license seem less burdensome. If you’re facing a traffic law issue in Florida, talk to Erika Valcarcel, Criminal Defense Lawyer, P.A.. We can handle the legal work, so that you can get your life back to normal. To speak with a Florida traffic attorney, fill out the online contact form or call (941) 363-7900 today.
View All Blogs"Erika Valcarcel, Criminal Defense Lawyer, P.A. is the best you will find. Erika Valcarcel is completely honest and straightforward. She took a huge burden off my shoulders many times during difficult periods of my life knowing that she was doing everything that that could and should be done. Her knowledge is extensive and her advice has always been right on the mark. She is worth every penny of the fee she charges. You cannot go wrong securing her services."
Joni A. | Sarasota County
Domestic Violence Charges Dismissed in 10 Days
When a client was arrested for battery after an altercation with his girlfriend, he immediately contacted attorney Erika Valcarcel. The client was adamant that the entire situation was a misunderstanding, but nevertheless he was looking at a domestic violence conviction and potentially up to a year in jail. We acted fast on his behalf and discussed the situation with the State attorney’s office. We informed the prosecutor that our client's girlfriend did not want to proceed and highlighted the weaknesses in their case. Once they were aware of these developments, we successfully arranged to have the charges dismissed. This was all before our client's first court date and impressively all done within 10 days of the initial arrest.
