The 10-day deadline
You have 10 days after the date your notice of suspension was issued to request a formal or informal review. The notice is usually issued at the arrest, and any temporary permit issued with it expires at midnight on the tenth day after the notice was issued.
Form HSMV 78065 requests that review and carries a $25 filing fee. Form HSMV 72034 instead asks for an immediate restricted license, for business purposes only, if you qualify. You must never have had an earlier DUI or refusal suspension, a commercial license disqualification for either, or a DUI conviction, and you must show proof of DUI school enrollment. Accepting that license gives up review, and the form also costs $25.
The Bureau of Administrative Reviews is the DHSMV division that decides whether a driver license suspension after a DUI arrest stands or falls. It is where you file to request a formal review, and where you file if you want to give up that review in exchange for driving right away. There are eight offices in Florida.
The Florida Bureau of Administrative Review, part of the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, is often called the BAR, and each office below handles the counties around it.
The offices
| Office | Address | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clearwater | 4585 140th Ave N., Suite 1002 Clearwater, FL 33762 |
727-507-4405 | ClearwaterBAR@flhsmv.gov More on the Clearwater office |
| Tampa | 2814 East Hillsborough Ave Tampa, FL 33610 |
813-276-5795 | TampaBAR@flhsmv.gov More on the Tampa office |
| Jacksonville | 7439 Wilson Blvd Jacksonville, FL 32210 |
904-777-2132 | JacksonvilleBAR@flhsmv.gov |
| Orlando | 4101 Clarcona-Ocoee Rd, Suite 152 Orlando, FL 32810 |
407-445-5581 | OrlandoBAR@flhsmv.gov |
| Miami | 401 NW 2nd Ave, Suite N612 Miami, FL 33128 |
305-265-3001 | MiamiBAR@flhsmv.gov |
| Lauderdale Lakes | 3718-3 W. Oakland Park Blvd Lauderdale Lakes, FL 33311 |
954-677-5800 | LauderdaleBAR@flhsmv.gov |
| Pensacola | 100 Stumpfield Road Pensacola, FL 32503 |
850-494-5728 | PensacolaBAR@flhsmv.gov |
| Tallahassee | 2900 Apalachee Pkwy, Room B135 Tallahassee, FL 32399 |
850-617-2449 | TallahasseeBAR@flhsmv.gov |
Addresses and email addresses as printed on DHSMV form HSMV 72034, revised April 2026.
Phone numbers are from the DHSMV county location pages, checked September 27, 2026. Every office lists hours of Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The DHSMV page currently shows the Miami office as temporarily closed to the public, and DHSMV says a hearing request or hardship application can be filed without visiting a BAR office by emailing the form to the office. The Tallahassee room number is printed as B135 on form HSMV 72034 and as A125 on the DHSMV Leon County location page, so call ahead before going in person.
Which office is yours
Use the office named on your notice of suspension. That notice is usually the DUI citation itself, and it identifies the office your paperwork goes to. If you are filing the eligibility application rather than a review request, the instruction on that form is to mail it to the office nearest your residence.
Do not guess between offices. Filing in the wrong place burns days you do not have, because the window to request a review runs ten days after the date the notice of suspension was issued.
What actually gets filed
Two different requests go to these offices, and they lead to opposite places.
- Form HSMV 78065 requests a formal or informal review of the suspension. It carries a $25 filing fee made payable to DDL, and a copy of your citation has to go with it. A formal review can be conducted by telephone.
- Form HSMV 72034 requests an eligibility review for an immediate restricted license. It also costs $25, but that check is made payable to the Division of Motorist Services, a different payee. It requires a copy of your Florida DUI citation and proof that you are already enrolled in DUI school. Signing it waives your right to any review.
Two fees, two payees, same amount. It is an easy thing to get wrong and a filing can be treated as incomplete until the correct fee arrives.
Facing a DUI charge in St. Petersburg? See how Rory handles St. Petersburg DUI defense and the decisions that come with hiring a lawyer.
Before you pick
The choice between those two forms is the whole ballgame, and it is not obvious. One keeps your right to attack the suspension and can erase it entirely. The other gets you driving without a waiting period but ends the fight permanently. The license deadline checker will show you your exact deadline and what each path costs in your situation, and the formal review hearing page explains what happens in that room.
These rules are being rewritten. FLHSMV has opened rulemaking on Chapter 15A-6, the chapter that governs this entire process. What is in scope and what it means for a pending case. Nothing has changed yet.
Not sure how strong the case against you actually is? The case evaluator walks through the questions I would ask you, the stop, the roadside, the twenty minute observation, the machine, and tells you what your answers suggest. Three minutes, no email.
BAR office questions
How many Bureau of Administrative Reviews offices are there in Florida?
Eight: Clearwater, Tampa, Jacksonville, Orlando, Miami, Lauderdale Lakes, Pensacola, and Tallahassee. Each office handles the counties around it, and the office that handles your case is the one named on your notice of suspension, which is usually the DUI citation itself.
Which BAR office handles my DUI license suspension?
The office named on your notice of suspension. If you are filing the restricted license eligibility application instead of requesting a review, that form goes to the office nearest your residence. Filing in the wrong office burns days you do not have.
How long do I have to request a formal review hearing?
Ten days after the date the notice of suspension was issued, which is usually the day of the arrest. After that window closes, the suspension becomes final without anyone testing the evidence behind it.
What does it cost to request a formal review?
Twenty five dollars, filed on form HSMV 78065 with a copy of your citation. The check is payable to DDL. A formal review can be conducted by telephone, so you do not necessarily have to appear at the office in person.
Can I skip the hearing and get a restricted license right away?
Yes, by filing form HSMV 72034 with its own twenty five dollar fee, proof of DUI school enrollment, and a copy of the citation. Signing it waives your right to any review, so the suspension becomes permanent on your record in exchange for immediate restricted driving. That trade is the whole decision, and it deserves advice before you make it.
The formal review process these offices run is created by section 322.2615, Florida Statutes, which sets the ten day window, the scope of the hearing, and what the hearing officer may consider.
