It’s been a year since the U.S. Supreme Court deemed Florida’s process of deciding death penalty cases unconstitutional for the second time. Florida had a long-standing practice of allowing imposition of the death penalty without the unanimous support of a jury. Before the 2016 ruling in Hurst v. Florida, courts here…
Florida state lawmakers are mulling drug crime reform, specifically a series of bill that include provisions allowing judges more discretion for sentences that currently require minimum mandatory sentencing and increases of substance abuse treatment funds. The chances signal a turn away from the hard-line stance so many lawmakers took in…
Hazing, which years ago may have been considered little more than a normal rite of passage in some school-age circles, is now considered a felony offense in Florida. F.S. 1006.63 states that hazing can be any action or situation that recklessly or intentionally endangers the mental or physical health or…
The grand jury system is one that is often confusing for Florida criminal defendants. It is not as public as a trial, and the defense doesn’t have the same opportunity to present its case as it would in an actual trial. As noted by The Florida Bar, the grand jury…
Is it possible for your vehicle to be a deadly weapon? Although it might seem a straightforward question, given the fact that a vehicle could in fact be deadly if it’s used to run another person over, the answer isn’t clear when it comes to Florida law. The state appellate…
The state attorney’s office announced in a recent memorandum they would not press charges against Miami Dolphins NFL player Jarvis Landry for an alleged incident of domestic violence in Broward County last spring. The football player had been under investigation since the alleged incident in April. The decision by the…
One of the benefits of having an experienced criminal defense lawyer who is knowledgeable not only about statute, but also about local procedures, policies and players is you have an inside track on what you can generally expect from certain judges, prosecutors and courthouse rules. Some judges may have a…
We all know the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees Americans the right to own weapons. However, that freedom is not without restriction, and it’s important to understand how state law may restrict your rights. It’s common in Fort Lauderdale, Miami and West Palm Beach for gun owners to…
A well-known South Florida sports caster was arrested for battery on an elderly person, identified as a 70-year-old man. It’s not clear whether the two are related, though defendant had been staying at the home where the elder man resides. The Palm Beach Post reports authorities were called to do…
A new Florida law signed by Governor Rick Scott takes aim at opioid trafficking and possession, imposing harsher penalties for those convicted of dealing and using pills, heroin, fentanyl and more. The measure, House Bill 477, enacts new mandatory minimum sentences for opioid users and dealers and establishes new bans…