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.

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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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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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Who Can Recover in a Florida Wrongful Death Case?

When a family loses someone to another person's carelessness, the legal questions arrive at the worst possible time, and the answers are not obvious....
  • Rory Safir
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Criminal Court Speaks Its Own Language. Here Are Three Translations That Matter.

The night you're arrested, someone reads you your rights in English. Then the system switches languages. Booking. Capias. Nolo. Withhold. Docket sounding....
  • Rory Safir
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Florida Motorcycle Accidents: No PIP, No Injury Threshold, and the Helmet Myth

A motorcycle crash is not just a car crash on two wheels, and a rider's legal situation is meaningfully different in Florida, in ways that can cut for the rider....
  • Rory Safir
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The Warning Signs of Nursing Home Neglect, and the Rights Florida Gives Your Loved One

Every so often a video or a news story out of a care facility goes viral, and families across Florida feel the same cold worry about the person they placed in someone else's care....
  • Rory Safir
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Do I Have to Give the Insurance Company a Recorded Statement?

Within a day or two of a crash, the other driver's insurance company often calls, friendly and helpful, asking for a quick recorded statement to process the claim. It sounds routine. It is not....
  • Rory Safir
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How Impairment Is Proven When a Drunk Driver Hurts You

When a drunk driver injures someone, many folks assume the impairment will simply speak for itself. In a civil case it does not....
  • Rory Safir
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Hit by a Car While Walking in Florida? You Have More Rights Than the Driver Will Admit

People walk all over Tampa Bay, and every year the roads here prove how dangerous that is. In Smart Growth America's Dangerous by Design report, the Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Clearwater metro has ranked among the deadliest in the nation for pedestrians and the most dangerous in Florida....
  • Rory Safir

Thanks to You: A 2025 Tampa’s Best Silver Winner

Some recognition comes from panels and peer committees, and I am grateful for those. This one is different, and honestly, it means more....
  • Rory Safir
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The First Night After an Arrest: Three Things I Tell Every Worried Family

The first night is the worst part. I tell people that up front because it's true. If you're reading this a few hours after an arrest, or while someone you love waits in a county jail to see a judge, the fear and the racing thoughts you're feeling right now...
  • Rory Safir
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Florida Dog Bite Law: There Is No “One Free Bite” Here

Florida is one of the better states in the country to be a dog bite victim, because the law does not give the owner a free pass for the first bite. If a dog bit you, the owner is responsible whether or not the dog had ever shown a mean...
  • 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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