Author Archives: Jay Butchko
DUI with Property Damage in Orlando: What to Expect from Prosecutors
A DUI arrest is stressful enough on its own. When the incident also involves a crash that damages someone else’s car, fence, or property, the case takes on an entirely different weight in the eyes of the prosecutor. Why does adding property damage change the calculus so significantly, and what should someone facing this… Read More »
Who Really Decides Whether You Keep Your License After a Florida DUI Arrest?
Most drivers assume a DUI arrest means one case, one judge, one outcome. In Florida, that assumption is wrong. The moment law enforcement takes your license and hands you a ten day paper permit, a second case has already begun, one that has nothing to do with the criminal courthouse. That case belongs to… Read More »
Could a Medical Condition Be the Real Reason You Failed Your Field Sobriety Test?
A police officer pulls you over, asks you to walk a straight line or stand on one leg, and decides you failed. But what if the reason you stumbled had nothing to do with alcohol or drugs? For Florida field sobriety test attorneys, this question comes up more often than most drivers realize. Field… Read More »
When the Car Is Driving, Who’s Responsible for the DUI?
Florida has quietly become one of the more permissive states in the country when it comes to letting computers take the wheel. Fully driverless vehicles are already allowed on public roads here, no human operator required. That shift raises a question that sounds simple until you actually try to answer it: if a person… Read More »
When the Officer Becomes the Expert: The Rise of Drug Recognition Testimony in Florida DUI Cases
Ask most people what a DUI case looks like, and they will picture a breathalyzer and a blinking blue light. That image is quickly becoming outdated. As marijuana use has become more visible, and prescription drug impairment has become harder to ignore, Florida prosecutors are leaning on a different kind of witness: the Drug… Read More »
The Word “Impaired” Is Doing a Lot of Work in Florida DUI Law
Most people assume a DUI case comes down to a number. Blow over the limit, lose the case. But Florida law gives prosecutors more than one path to a conviction, and one of those paths has nothing to do with a number at all. It turns on a single, surprisingly slippery word: impaired. So… Read More »
What to Expect at a Florida DUI Arraignment
Getting arrested for DUI is stressful enough. Then a court date shows up on your calendar labeled “arraignment,” and suddenly you have another unfamiliar process to think about. What actually happens at this hearing? Do you have to say anything? Could one wrong move hurt your case before it even really begins? Why Does… Read More »
Out-of-State Drivers Arrested for DUI in Orlando: What You Need to Know
Orlando welcomes millions of visitors every year, and plenty of them end up behind the wheel of a rental car cruising International Drive or heading out to the theme parks. But what happens if one of those visitors gets pulled over and arrested for DUI? Does an out-of-state license offer any protection? The short… Read More »
Underage DUI in Florida: How the Zero Tolerance Law Actually Works
A single drink can end a young driver’s license for six months in Florida, long before any question of guilt or innocence comes up. That is the reality of the state’s zero tolerance law, and it catches a lot of families off guard. A Different Standard for Drivers Under 21 Adults face license suspension… Read More »
Florida vs. Other States: How Does Florida’s DUI Law Compare?
Every state in the country criminalizes driving under the influence, but the details of those laws vary more than most drivers realize. If you are facing a DUI charge in Florida, or you are simply curious how the state’s approach stacks up against others, understanding these differences can shed light on what you are… Read More »
