Whether you were hurt in a crash that was not your fault or you are facing a criminal charge, you need a lawyer who knows DeSoto County and handles your case personally. Choose the help you need below, and each page goes deeper into how these cases work here.
In This Courthouse
I am in court every weekday, usually morning and afternoon.
Every county runs its own way. Here that means the DeSoto County Courthouse in Arcadia, in Florida’s Twelfth Judicial Circuit. DeSoto is a smaller docket, which cuts both ways: fewer moving parts, and less room to be anonymous.
It also means DETER, the Twelfth Circuit first-DUI program that DeSoto shares with Manatee and Sarasota. Knowing which program applies where you were arrested, and what it actually costs you, is the difference between a first DUI that ends in a conviction and one that does not.
Legal help across DeSoto County
I represent people throughout DeSoto County, including Arcadia and the surrounding communities. Criminal and DUI cases here run through the Twelfth Judicial Circuit at the DeSoto County Courthouse in Arcadia. If a case is appealed, it now goes to Florida’s Second District Court of Appeal, which sits in St. Petersburg after the state realigned its appellate districts. Knowing the local courts, the prosecutors, and the way local insurers evaluate injury claims is part of how I build a case. I am not a referral service, and from the first call through trial you work with me, not a case manager.
On the injury side, US-17 and State Road 70 are the main corridors through DeSoto, two-lane highways that carry fast-moving cars mixed with farm equipment and trucks, so rural crashes tend to happen at higher speeds and farther from major trauma care. DeSoto Memorial Hospital in Arcadia provides emergency care, and the most serious trauma is often transferred to Sarasota or Tampa. I represent injured people, not insurance companies, and I build the case the way it has to be built to move an adjuster toward fair value.
On the criminal side, I defend DUI, drug, traffic, violent, and other charges in the DeSoto courts. As an ACS-CHAL forensic lawyer-scientist and a former public defender, I work the breath and blood science and the courtroom the way these cases demand. Explore the full range of personal injury cases I handle, or choose your DeSoto County track above.
If an arrest just happened in DeSoto. The Sheriff posts a jail roster and a jail FAQ. There is no online records portal here, so a records or body camera request goes to the Sheriff’s office directly. DeSoto is Twelfth Circuit, which means the diversion program is DETER.
If the arrest was recent, the license clock is already running and it is separate from the criminal case. The deadline checker shows exactly how long is left, and the cost breakdown shows what a conviction carries.
What to expect in Arcadia. DeSoto cases are heard at the DeSoto County Courthouse at 115 East Oak Street, where parking is free with no time limit and the Clerk is in the same building. The guide covers screening, remote appearance, and how a small county docket differs from Sarasota or Bradenton.
If a DUI arrest just happened, the license clock is running separately from the criminal case. The deadline checker shows how long is left, the cost breakdown shows what a conviction carries, and the case evaluator walks through what is actually strong and weak in the case.
Prefer to pick a time rather than call? You can book a free consultation directly, or call or text (727) 761-4318.
