Safir Injury and Criminal Defense Law
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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 ➞
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Should I Accept the Insurance Company’s First Offer?

A settlement offer lands a few weeks after the crash, the bills are piling up, and the check would make the pressure stop. The pull to just take it is real....
  • Rory Safir
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Facing DUI Number Two? Start With the Dates on Your First One

You already know what a booking area smells like at two in the morning. You did the DUI school, paid the fine, watched your insurance climb, and told yourself that chapter was closed. Now there's a new case number with your name on it, and you can feel that this...
  • Rory Safir
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The Strangers Already Working on Your DUI Case

You got home from the jail, or from the tow yard, and the house went quiet. That's when it hits you: somewhere across town, a group of strangers is already at work on your case. An officer is finishing a report with your name on it. A file is moving...
  • Rory Safir
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Celebrity DUIs Get the Headlines. Here Is What Florida Law Does for the People They Hit

The headlines arrive in waves. A singer here, an athlete there, another mugshot, another DUI arrest making the rounds online....
  • Rory Safir
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What to Do After a Car Accident in Florida (and the 14-Day Rule That Trips People Up)

The choices you make in the first hours and days after a crash can shape both your recovery and any claim you bring, and Florida has one deadline in particular that catches people off guard....
  • Rory Safir
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The Part of a DUI Conviction Nobody Warns You About

When a machine prints a number about you, the number moves into your head and starts acting like a verdict. Some part of you has probably decided that everything from here is paperwork....
  • Rory Safir
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Know Your Rights During an ICE Encounter

This article first appeared in The Paraclete, the magazine of the St. Petersburg Bar Association, May/June 2026 edition, pages 16 and 17. Republished here by the author, with citation to the original....
  • Rory Safir
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On Court TV: The Forensic Turning Point in the Nancy Guthrie Case

On February 19, I joined Court TV to break down the forensic turning point in the Nancy Guthrie case: DNA recovered from gloves found near the scene was run through CODIS and came back with no match, and investigators turned to investigative genetic genealogy for leads....
  • Rory Safir
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How Much Is My Car Accident Case Worth in Florida?

It is the first question almost everyone asks after a crash, and the honest answer is that no one can hand you a number on day one. Anyone who promises a figure before the medical picture is clear is guessing....
  • Rory Safir
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The Deadline Hiding on the Paper in Your Pocket

If you were arrested for DUI in the last few days, I can guess where your mind keeps going: the court date. Everyone fixates on it. But the deadline that matters most this week is not on the court's calendar....
  • Rory Safir
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Tiger Woods Blew a 0.00 and Still Got a DUI: How Drug DUIs Work in Florida

On a Friday afternoon this past March, Tiger Woods rolled his SUV on Jupiter Island, climbed out the window, and was arrested on suspicion of DUI....
  • Rory Safir
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I Teach the DUI Detection Script Police Follow. Here Is Where It Breaks.

If you were arrested for DUI recently, there is a police report out there with your name on it, and reading it is going to hurt. Weaving. Bloodshot eyes. Slurred speech. "Failed" roadside exercises....
  • Rory Safir
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Two Words That Can Take Apart a Drug DUI

If you were arrested for driving under the influence of a drug and never touched a drop of alcohol, you are not imagining how strange this feels. Maybe you took a medication your own doctor prescribed, exactly as the bottle said. Maybe you used lawful medical marijuana days earlier....
  • Rory Safir
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The Grading Started Before You Stepped Out of the Car

If an officer recently asked you to walk a line, stand on one leg, or follow a pen with your eyes, you're probably replaying every wobble and telling yourself you failed. I want to slow that tape down....
  • Rory Safir
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Britney Spears Took a Wet Reckless. Does Florida Have One?

In March, the California Highway Patrol pulled Britney Spears over on the 101 after a 911 call about a car speeding and swerving....
  • Rory Safir

Three Years Running: Selected to the 2026 Rising Stars List

Three Januaries, three letters. I have been selected to the 2026 Florida Super Lawyers Rising Stars list, which makes it three consecutive years: 2024, 2025, and now 2026....
  • Rory Safir
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How a Florida Breath Test Can Be Wrong: Inside the Intoxilyzer 8000

A breath testing machine is built to look like the last word....
  • Rory Safir
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Not Guilty: The Eye Test Was the Whole Case

The State's case rested on an involuntary eye movement. The jury did not accept it as proof of impairment beyond a reasonable doubt....
  • Rory Safir
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What the Machine Assumed About Your Body That Night

If you blew into a machine and a number came up, I know what that number is doing to you. It sits in your head like a verdict....
  • Rory Safir
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Justin Bieber's Miami DUI: Racing, Drugs, and How It Pleaded Down to Careless Driving

Back in January 2014, Miami Beach police arrested Justin Bieber after they said he was drag racing a Lamborghini on a residential street before dawn....
  • Rory Safir

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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 →

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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.

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“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.”

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