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 Pinellas County and handles your case personally. Choose the help you need below, and each page goes deeper into how these cases work here.
If the arrest happened in St. Petersburg, start with the St. Petersburg DUI and criminal defense page, which covers the courthouse your case goes to, the ten day license clock, and the DROP diversion program.
In This Courthouse
I am in court every weekday, usually morning and afternoon.
Every county runs its own way. Here that means the Pinellas County Justice Center in Clearwater, in Florida’s Sixth Judicial Circuit. I am at the Justice Center every week, often on more than one day of it, and I have written a walk-through of the building down to where to park and which floor you need.
It also means DROP, the first-DUI diversion program for the Sixth Circuit. 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. I have also written a walk-through of the Justice Center.
Legal help across Pinellas County
I represent people throughout Pinellas County, including St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Largo, Pinellas Park, and the beach communities. Criminal and DUI cases here run through the Sixth Judicial Circuit at the Pinellas County Justice Center in Clearwater and the St. Petersburg Judicial Building. If a case is appealed, it now goes to Florida’s Second District Court of Appeal, which sits here 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-19, Interstate 275, and Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard carry the heaviest traffic, and the Gandy, Howard Frankland, and Sunshine Skyway bridges add high-speed crossings over the water. Because Pinellas is so densely built and walkable, pedestrians and cyclists make up many of the most serious cases. Serious injuries are often treated at Bayfront Health St. Petersburg, Morton Plant Hospital in Clearwater, or Largo Medical Center, and those records are central to any claim. 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 Pinellas 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 Pinellas County track above.
Cities and Practice Areas in Pinellas County
Each city page carries the local detail for a DUI or criminal case there: St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Largo, Pinellas Park, Seminole, Dunedin, Tarpon Springs, Gulfport, and the Pinellas beaches.
St. Petersburg is covered neighborhood by neighborhood: Downtown, Historic Old Northeast, Historic Kenwood, North Kenwood, Historic Uptown, Historic Roser Park, Crescent Lake, Snell Isle, Old Southeast, and Coquina Key.
On the injury side: car accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, slip and fall, nursing home abuse, assisted living abuse, dog bites, negligent security, wrongful death, pedestrian accidents, rideshare accidents, boating accidents, and drunk driving crashes, most with St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Largo, and Pinellas Park pages beneath them.
If an arrest just happened in Pinellas. The Sheriff runs the jail and most of what a DUI sentence consists of. What the Sheriff controls covers the inmate search, posting bond, and the immobilization fee, which is $50 for 10 days, $75 for 30, and $115 for 90, and is a steering wheel lock rather than a tow. Formal review filings for Pinellas go to the Clearwater BAR office, and the first-DUI diversion program here is DROP.
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.
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.
Prefer to pick a time rather than call? You can book a free strategy session directly, or call or text (727) 761-4318.
