Sammis Law Firm
Sammis Law Firm
The Tampa Police Department conducted a DUI checkpoint on Friday, May 13, 2016. The press release, issued by Janelle McGregor, TPD Spokesperson, went out the same day. The press release disclosed that the Tampa Police Department DUI unit would conduct a DUI checkpoint on Friday, May 13 to Saturday, May 14. The officers with […]
This article was last updated on Friday, February 15, 2019. Once each month on a Monday night, nearly 200 people attend a Victim Impact Panel held at the Jail Assembly Room which is the building at the north end of the Falkenburg Road Jail. The panel is hosted by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office and […]
In a recent trial court level decision, State vs. Liles, 21 Fla. L. Weekly Supp. 883a (FLWSUPP 2019LILE), a Circuit Court Judge in Florida found that Section 316.1933 is unconstitutional because of the holding in Missour v. McNeely, 133 S.Ct. 1552 (2013). Since Section 316.1933 was enacted, law enforcement officers have used it to force warrantless blood […]
Update June 13, 2019: In 2014, NHTSA research incorrectly found that as of 2011, Florida had the nation’s highest refusal rate at eighty-two percent. See Esther S. Namuswe, Heidi L. Coleman & Amy Berning, Breath Test Refusal Rates in the United States–2011 Update Report No. DOT HS 811 881, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 1, […]
In order to discourage individuals from refusing to submit to a chemical test during a DUI investigation, the Florida legislature created a separate crime for a second refusal. The Florida legislature reasoned that without the legislation, people might be encouraged to refuse a breath test after an arrest in order to avoid a DUI conviction. […]
Update: The procedures for the Formal Review Hearing change over time, so we updated this guide recently. The most drastic changes occurred after March 9, 2020, when Governor Ron DeSantis issued Executive Order 20-52, declaring a State of Emergency for COVID-19. As a result, all formal review hearings are being conducted telephonically. This “how to […]
“Only sometimes when we pick and choose among the rules we discover later that we have set aside something precious in the process.” – Helen Simonson, Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand Matthew Malhiot recently wrote an article discussing how the Florida Alcohol Testing Program (ATP) violated Chapter 11D-8 F.A.C. rules when it failed to conduct department […]
In State v. Larking, 23 Fla. L. Weekly Supp. 271b (August 10, 2015), the Honorable Margaret R. Taylor, Judge in Tampa, Hillsborough County, granted a motion filed by Eilam Isaak, Isaak Law, PLLC, Tampa. The issue in the case was whether the breath test results should be suppressed when the machine was inspected with unapproved […]
I recently attended a hardship hearing at the Florida Bureau of Administrative Review office in Tampa, FL, in Hillsborough County. These hardship hearings can occur after an administrative suspension for a first DUI that might last for 6 months or for a permanent lifetime revocation after a fourth DUI, or anything else in between. I […]
For certain types of traffic violations, Florida Statutes 322.0261 requires completion of a 4-hour Basic Driver Improvement course approved by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. You must take the course after a conviction for: 1. Highway Racing (as a driver or passenger); or 2. Reckless Driving. You have to take the course […]
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Sammis Law Firm, P.A.
1005 N. Marion St.
Tampa, FL 33602
(813) 250-0200
Sammis Law Firm, P.A.
7509 Little Rd.
New Port Richey, FL 34654
(727) 807-6392
Sammis Law Firm, P.A.
14010 Roosevelt Blvd. #701
Clearwater, FL 33762
(727) 210-7004
