Safir Injury and Criminal Defense Law
(727) 761-4318

(727) 761-4318

Call/Text 24/7 / 365

The Safir Lawyer Blog

Florida DUI, criminal defense, and personal injury, explained by a forensic lawyer-scientist and former public defender. Seven running series cover the science behind the evidence, the cases in the news, the injury claims, and how a defense actually gets built, all in plain English.

Rory Safir

Every post here is written by Rory Safir, one of only six ACS-CHAL Forensic Lawyer-Scientists in Florida, the author of The Florida DUI Trial Manual, and a former Assistant Public Defender in Tampa.

About Rory →

The Series

Seven running series, each with its own beat. Pick a lane or read them all.

The Safir WireThe Safir WireLegal news, court rulings, and law changes, read the way a lawyer-scientist reads them.Explore the series ➞Called SafirCalled SafirAthlete and celebrity arrests, broken down by a criminal defense lawyer.Explore the series ➞SafircrackingSafircrackingForensic science, taken apart piece by piece: breath, blood, DNA, drug testing, and the crime lab.Explore the series ➞Fail-SafirFail-SafirFalse alerts, misused databases, and lab failures, and what they mean in a real case.Explore the series ➞Safir HarborSafir HarborHow cases actually get defended, from the first night to the last motion.Explore the series ➞Better Safir Than SorryBetter Safir Than SorryCar crashes, insurance tactics, and what an injury claim is actually worth.Explore the series ➞Rory SafirAsk SafirHave a question about a DUI, an arrest, or an injury claim? Ask it, and the answer may become the next post.Ask your question ➞
, ,

Was Your Police Report Written by AI? Axon Draft One in Florida, and the Draft Nobody Keeps

Axon Draft One writes police report narratives from body camera audio, and the first draft is not kept. Where Florida sheriffs use it, what their policies say, and the questions to ask when a report matters in your case....
  • Rory Safir
, ,

How Many Jurors Decide a Florida Criminal Trial? Six, Twelve, and the Eight That Decide Death

Two Tampa juries heard similar murder trials; one recommended death and one life. Florida uses six jurors for felonies, twelve for capital cases, a unanimous verdict, and eight of twelve for death, and the Supreme Court is now reviewing the six....
  • Rory Safir
, ,

Can the Crime Lab Be Wrong? A DNA Analyst Just Got Ten Years for Deleting Results

A state crime lab DNA analyst deleted results for years and an intern caught it. She got ten years on September 8. What a lab report actually is, why the analyst has to come to court, and the records a Florida defense lawyer asks for by name....
  • Rory Safir
, , ,

Can Florida Police Stop You Just for Carrying a Gun? A Federal Appeals Court Said No

Two Miami-Dade detectives stopped a man at gunpoint because he had a pistol in his hoodie. The Eleventh Circuit vacated his conviction: in Florida a concealed gun alone is not reasonable suspicion. What the ruling means if you carry....
  • Rory Safir
, ,

Asleep in a Running Truck in Tampa: The Welfare Check That Became a DUI

Deputies woke a man asleep in a running truck at a Tampa apartment complex and a DUI followed. A judge suppressed it; the appeals court reversed. Where a welfare check ends, and why a parked truck can still be a DUI in Florida....
  • Rory Safir
, , ,

Florida Took the Word ‘Lawful’ Out of Resisting With Violence: What the Officer Jason Raynor Act Changed

One act signed June 16, 2026 removed the word lawful from three Florida statutes, defined good faith to include an arrest later found unlawful, and repealed the rule that an officer may not use force in a knowingly unlawful arrest. Resisting without violence was left alone....
  • Rory Safir
, ,

Police Took His Blood Without a Warrant. The Court Just Took Back the Rule They Used.

A driver refused a blood draw after a fatal crash and police took it anyway. The Fourth District affirmed suppression and receded from the sentence prosecutors had been citing as a probable cause exception to the warrant requirement....
  • Rory Safir
, ,

Can a Withdrawn Guilty Plea Be Used Against You in Florida?

Florida keeps a withdrawn guilty plea out of evidence, along with a no contest plea, an offer to plead, and the statements made in connection with any of them. The protection can apply even when no deal was ever reached....
  • Rory Safir
, ,

What Happens When a Florida Jury Says It Is Deadlocked

A Florida jury is allowed to hang. When one says it cannot agree, the judge may read a specific instruction asking it to try again, and that script has protections built into it. Leave them out and a conviction can be reversed....
  • Rory Safir
, ,

Ask Safir: Can You Seal or Expunge a Criminal Record in Florida?

Florida lets many folks seal or expunge one record in a lifetime, and how the case ended decides which remedy applies. The disqualifiers are stricter than most articles admit, and one old misdemeanor can close the door....
  • Rory Safir
, ,

Ask Safir: Should I See a Doctor After a Car Accident If I Feel Fine?

Florida gives you 14 days after a crash to get initial medical care or forfeit the no-fault benefits you already paid for. The second deadline hiding behind it decides whether your coverage is 10,000 dollars or 2,500....
  • Rory Safir
, ,

Ask Safir: Can I Drive After a DUI Arrest in Florida?

The citation in your pocket is a ten day driving permit, and what you do inside those ten days decides whether you keep driving after it expires. One of the two paths costs more than people realize....
  • Rory Safir
, ,

Ask Safir: Can a Florida DUI Be Reduced to Reckless Driving?

Reductions to reckless driving happen in Florida every week, through county programs and through pressure on the evidence. A statute most people have never heard of decides who is even allowed to take the deal....
  • Rory Safir
, ,

Ask Safir: How Long Does a DUI Stay on Your Record in Florida?

The criminal record is permanent, the driving record keeps it for 75 years, and the clocks that do expire are the ones lawyers care about most: the five and ten year enhancement windows....
  • Rory Safir
, ,

Ask Safir: What Happens If You Refuse the Breath Test in Florida?

Refusing the breath test after a Florida DUI arrest is now a crime, a change many drivers still have not heard about. The officer's warning is an element of that crime, and it is where these cases get fought....
  • Rory Safir
, ,

Ask Safir: Do I Have to Do the Field Sobriety Exercises in Florida?

No law requires the roadside exercises and declining them is not a crime in Florida. What most articles skip is what declining actually changes, and what was already being graded before the question was asked....
  • Rory Safir
, ,

Ask Safir: Will a DUI Show Up on a Background Check in Florida?

A Florida DUI conviction shows up on background checks and can never be sealed or expunged. The reason is a statute most articles skip, and the one real exit ramp runs through the charge itself....
  • Rory Safir
, ,

When Police Ask Google for Your Account: What a Subpoena Gets, Under Federal and Florida Law

A subpoena with no judge involved reaches your name, your session times and the card you paid with. A warrant is only needed for contents. And for records, the government does not have to tell you at all....
  • Rory Safir
, ,

Florida’s Super Speeder Law: What Section 316.1922 Actually Says

Florida created the crime of dangerous excessive speeding on July 1, 2025, and a first conviction carries jail. The bill was rewritten three times before it passed, and many summaries still describe the earlier draft....
  • Rory Safir
, ,

Flock Cameras in Tampa Bay: Where They Are, the Misuse Arrests, and What the Law Actually Says

Three Florida officers were charged in five weeks over Flock camera misuse, and St. Petersburg's 50 cameras are now a mayoral runoff issue. A St. Petersburg defense lawyer explains what the cameras record, the felony charges, the Fourth Amendment cases, and what the search logs mean in a criminal case....
  • Rory Safir

Start Your Free Strategy Session


(727) 761-4318

Call/Text 24/7 / 365

Book a Time Online  ➞

Not Ready? Explore the Free Resources

Call (727) 761-4318
Browse by Topic
DUI Defense
Criminal Defense
Personal Injury
Firm News
Arrested for DUI in Florida, the bookI wrote the book on Florida DUIFree to anyone facing a charge in Tampa Bay. Plain English, nineteen chapters, no law degree required.Get your copy →ACS-CHAL Forensic Lawyer-Scientist badgeForensic Lawyer-ScientistOne of six attorneys in Florida with the ACS-CHAL designation from the American Chemical Society.What that means for your case →

Practice Areas

Case Results

Acquittal, Pinellas County: DUI jury acquittal after the HGN eye test was challenged.

Past results are examples only and do not predict, promise, or guarantee the outcome of any other case.

See All Case Results

Client Reviews

“Rory rescued me. His professionalism and knowledge of criminal law turned what could have been a terrible situation into freedom. One of the best attorneys in the state, in my opinion.”

Daniel T.

See All Client Reviews

Google
★★★★★
4.9 | 200+ Google Reviews

Let’s Go Over Your Case


Email Newsletter