Driving on a Suspended License in Florida
Driving on a suspended License
A person’s license can be suspended for a variety of reasons, such as forgetting to pay a fine, receiving a DUI, or not paying insurance. Regardless of the reason for the suspension, if a person is caught driving on a suspended license they will be charged with a criminal offense and are subjected to being arrested on the spot.
Penalties for Driving on a Suspended License
The more charges of driving on a suspended license that a driver has, the higher their penalties will be. Below is a list of the penalties for driving on a suspended license:
First or Second Offense
- Misdemeanor
- Up to a $500 fine
- Up to 60 days in jail
- Up to six months of probation
Third Time Offense
- Third Degree Felony
- Up to a $5000 fine
- Up to five years in jail
Reasons for a License Suspension
Some of the most common reasons for a person’s license to get suspended are:
- Driving under the influence
- Not paying a traffic ticket
- Not paying insurance
- Driving without insurance
- Refusing to take a breathalyzer test
- Providing fraudulent information on a driver’s license application.
In addition, with Florida’s point system in place a driver can receive a license suspension if they receive too many point on their license in a given time frame.
According to Florida’s Point System a person’s license will be suspended for 30 days if they receive 12 points on their license in one year, or they will get a 3 month suspension if they receive 18 points in 18 months and a one year suspension if they receive 24 points in 36 months.
Defenses
In many cases a driver may not be aware of their license suspension. If a driver does not pay a ticket, or does not pay their car insurance or accumulates too many points on their license their license will be suspended, but they may not be aware of the suspension if they never received a notification.
According to Florida law, a person must knowingly drive on a suspended license in order to be charged with driving on a suspended license. If an officer cannot prove that the accused individual knew that their license was suspended, then that person can fight their charge and get it dismissed.
A common example of a person not knowing that their license is suspended is when a person moved and forgot to notify the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) of their new address. When the DMV mailed them their notification in the mail of their license suspension they never received it and therefore did not know of their license suspension.
Having a suspended license can severely affect a person’s life and can cause problems to occur such as the loss of a job and difficulty in finding a new job. Then, when a person is slapped with a criminal violation of driving on a suspended license their problems will become far worse and if a person was unjustly charged they should contact a lawyer immediately.
Call us today
Our firm has fought thousands of cases regarding suspended licenses and we have a large amount of experience fighting criminal traffic violations. We would like to work with you on trying to get your ticket dismissed. We are available 24/7 to assist you and answer all of your questions. Let us learn more about your case by consulting with one of our friendly attorneys. Call us today at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (1-800-344-4848) and let us help you.
