On occasion, a person will find out that they have a warrant in Florida for a probation violation on a DUI that they got years earlier. Let’s say that “John” thought his case was closed back in the early 1990s, which is when he contacted Broward County and they had him pay a $500 fine.
At that time, the court told John that everything was clear. Like many people, John didn’t stay in Florida his whole life. He eventually moved out of state and got his driver’s license there.
It’s been over 20 years since John’s Florida DUI; he hasn’t so much had a speeding ticket since then.
Now, it’s 2015 and John just found out that he has a warrant for his arrest in Broward County, Florida. What should he do? He contacted Broward County and they told him to send them a letter explaining his situation; they refused to give him any kind of “legal advice” over the phone.
If you’re in a similar situation and dealing with the Broward County courts, first I want to say that they can be difficult to deal with. I know this from having to deal with their court system for over three decades.
If you have an outstanding warrant like John, you can’t expect the Clerk’s Office staff to be helpful, but they may be more helpful to a DUI lawyer who “speaks their language.” Such an attorney can determine the nature of the problem and find the appropriate solution.
In my experience, a great way to get information in these situations is to have a DUI attorney go through the judicial assistant who works for the judge on the case.
If you’re dealing with a similar scenario in Miami-Dade County and you have a warrant out for your arrest due to a DUI probation violation, I strongly suggest that you contact my office to schedule a free case evaluation. I’d be glad to get to the bottom of this so it can be resolved as quickly as possible.
Just a few of my qualifications include being a member of the National College for DUI Defense, selected for inclusion in Florida’s Super Lawyers®, and the AV® Rating from Martindale-Hubbell®.
