Where Your Case Will Be Heard in Hillsborough County
Hillsborough County criminal cases run through the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit, with most matters heard at the George E. Edgecomb Courthouse in downtown Tampa. This is the circuit where I served as an Assistant Public Defender, so I know how the State builds and tries its cases here, and where they tend to fall apart.
That license side runs separately through the Florida DHSMV. For Hillsborough County, formal review hearings are held at the Tampa Bureau of Administrative Reviews (the BAR) on East Hillsborough Avenue, which also handles Hillsborough, Pasco, and several nearby counties. Demanding that hearing within the ten-day window is the only way to fight the suspension, and it is an early chance to put the arresting officer under oath. We file the formal review demand and appear at the Tampa BAR for you.
I am Rory Safir, and I defend DUI and criminal cases across Hillsborough County, in the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit. I began my career as an Assistant Public Defender in Florida’s Thirteenth Judicial Circuit, and I am one of only six attorneys in Florida recognized as a Forensic Lawyer-Scientist by the American Chemical Society. On the breath and blood chemistry I am trained in, I read the raw data myself, and on DNA, digital, and other evidence I bring in the right expert. The firm is based in St. Petersburg and works remotely, so distance is never a reason to settle for less. Learn more about my background.
DUI and Criminal Defense Across Hillsborough County
Hillsborough is the largest of the Tampa Bay counties, and its enforcement reflects that. The nightlife in Ybor City and the SoHo district, the interstates running through Tampa, and the presence of MacDill Air Force Base all shape the DUI and criminal caseload. High-stakes felony cases, drug cases out of traffic stops, and DUIs with breath or blood evidence are everyday work here, and the forensic detail is where these cases are won.
We defend cases throughout Hillsborough, including Tampa, Brandon, Riverview, Plant City, Temple Terrace, Ybor City, and the Carrollwood and New Tampa areas.
Big-event weekends bring extra DUI enforcement, with the Gasparilla pirate festival in late January and the Florida State Fair both well known for saturation patrols around Tampa. And with Tampa Bay and the Hillsborough River right here, boating under the influence is its own charge with its own rules around the stop, the testing, and the roles of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Coast Guard; our Hillsborough County boating under the influence page covers it.
Hillsborough County by the Numbers
Hillsborough is among the most populous counties in Florida, home to about 1.6 million residents and the heart of the Tampa Bay region. A population that size, spread across the city of Tampa and a fast-growing suburban and eastern county, drives one of the busiest criminal dockets in the state, handled across the Thirteenth Circuit’s courthouses in Tampa and Plant City. Population figures are from the latest U.S. Census estimates and are approximate.
How We Help
Whatever the charge, the work starts with the evidence: the stop, the search, the testing, and the witnesses. Here is where we can help in Hillsborough County.
Cities and Communities We Serve in Hillsborough County
From the courthouses in Tampa and Plant City to the suburbs and the South Shore, we defend DUI and criminal cases across Hillsborough:
Local Law Enforcement and the Hillsborough County Jail
Arrests in Hillsborough County come from several agencies, including the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, which covers the unincorporated county, the Tampa, Temple Terrace, and Plant City police departments, the University of South Florida police around the USF area, and the Florida Highway Patrol on the interstates.
After a Hillsborough arrest, booking runs through the Sheriff’s Office Department of Detention Services. Intake happens at the Orient Road Jail, which also houses the county’s Central Breath Testing Unit, and many people are then moved to the larger Falkenburg Road Jail. Visitation at both jails is handled by video rather than in person, either at the onsite Video Visitation Center at Falkenburg or remotely from a phone or computer. As your attorney, I can schedule a free, private video visit that is not recorded, so we can talk through the case right away. You can find inmate search and visitation scheduling on the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office site.
Treatment Courts and Diversion in Hillsborough County
Not every case has to end in a conviction. The Thirteenth Judicial Circuit, which covers Hillsborough, runs one of the most developed sets of diversion programs and treatment courts in the state: pretrial intervention for eligible third-degree felonies, the Misdemeanor Intervention Program and the Adult Pre-Arrest Diversion program for first-time misdemeanors, the DETRR program for many drug charges, and the RIDR program for a first DUI. For cases driven by addiction, mental illness, or military service, the circuit runs Drug Court, Mental Health Court, and Veterans Treatment Court. Eligibility is specific, and entering a program means giving up certain rights, so we walk through the tradeoffs with you before deciding whether diversion or fighting the charge is the better path. The Thirteenth Circuit State Attorney publishes its own overview of these programs, including options beyond DUI, on its site.
DUI School in Hillsborough County
If your Hillsborough County case ends in a DUI conviction, or you simply need your license back, Florida will require you to complete DUI school. The licensed program assigned to Hillsborough County is DUI Counterattack Hillsborough, based in Tampa, and the course comes in a twelve-hour Level 1 for a first offense and a twenty-one-hour Level 2 for repeat offenses, each with a substance-abuse evaluation built in. DUI school is also a condition of the Thirteenth Circuit’s RIDR diversion program for eligible first offenses, so finishing it on time helps protect that resolution. We point you to the right provider, make sure you can register without delay, and keep the timing lined up with your court and license deadlines. Our Florida DUI school guide walks through exactly what to expect.
What to Do After a Hillsborough County Arrest
If you have just been arrested in Hillsborough County, a few things matter more than anything else. Stay calm and stay quiet, because you have the right to remain silent and using it is not an admission of anything. Do not consent to a search of your car, your phone, or your home. If a DUI is involved, the clock is already running: you generally have ten days to act to protect your driving privilege, and missing that window can cost you your license before your case is ever heard in court. Write down everything you remember about the stop, the testing, and what the officers said while it is fresh, since those details often decide a case. Then call us. The sooner we are involved, the more of your Hillsborough County case we can protect, and the first consultation is free and available any hour of the day.
How We Defend Hillsborough County Cases
We get the full file rather than the summary, test the science with the right expert, press the constitutional issues around the stop and the search, and tell your whole story in negotiation and, when needed, at trial. It is the same forensic-first approach in every county we serve.
Working a case in Hillsborough County also means knowing the local courts and what truly moves a matter here, from an early conversation with the State Attorney to a fully built mitigation package when the facts are hard. We map out the path with you at the start, in plain language, so you always know what comes next and never feel like just another case number in the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit.
Common Questions
Do you handle DUI and criminal cases in Hillsborough County?
Yes. We defend DUI and the full range of criminal charges in Hillsborough County, including drug, theft, violent, weapons, domestic violence, and probation matters, along with sealing and expunging.
You started your career in Hillsborough, right?
Yes. I was an Assistant Public Defender in the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit in Tampa, where I tried cases and represented hundreds of people. That courtroom experience still shapes how I defend cases here.
What makes your Hillsborough County DUI defense different?
I am one of only six attorneys in Florida recognized as an ACS-CHAL Forensic Lawyer-Scientist, and I read the breath, blood, and urine science myself rather than taking the State’s report at face value. That scientific read is where many Hillsborough County cases turn.
How fast should I call after a Hillsborough County arrest?
As soon as possible. A DUI arrest starts a ten-day clock to protect your license, evidence can be lost, and the earlier we are involved, the more of your case we can protect. The first consultation is free and we are available 24/7.
Do you handle injury cases in Hillsborough County too?
Yes. Alongside our DUI and criminal work, we handle serious personal injury and crash cases in Hillsborough County.
Where is my DUI license hearing held for a Hillsborough County arrest?
The administrative suspension of your license is handled by the Florida DHSMV, not the criminal court. Formal review hearings are held at the Tampa Bureau of Administrative Reviews on East Hillsborough Avenue, which serves Hillsborough, Pasco, and several nearby counties. You have only ten days from the arrest to demand that hearing, so it is worth calling right away.
Is there a diversion program for a first DUI in Hillsborough County?
For an eligible first DUI, the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit offers the RIDR program, which can reduce a DUI to reckless driving after you complete enhanced conditions. Eligibility is specific and decided by the State Attorney, so we review whether it fits your case or whether fighting the charge is the better path.
This page is general information about Florida law and our service area, not legal advice, and it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Court structure and procedure in Hillsborough County are summarized and can change, so confirm details with counsel about your own case. Every case turns on its own facts, and past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
