From our attorneys
How bail is set after a Florida arrest, the difference between a cash bond, a surety bond, and release on your own recognizance, and when the law lets a judge deny bond entirely.
In Florida, the weight of the drugs found, not intent to sell, is what can turn a possession charge into trafficking with a mandatory prison sentence. How the thresholds work by substance.
Every Florida felony sentence starts with a scoresheet: a point total built from the charge, any additional counts, injury to a victim, and criminal history. How the Criminal Punishment Code scores a case, what 44 points means, and when a judge can go below it.
Florida's fleeing-and-eluding law has no misdemeanor tier: the baseline charge is a felony, and a 2025 law change made every level harsher. How § 316.1935 grades the offense, what changed, and how it differs from reckless driving, resisting arrest, and hit-and-run.
Touching or striking a Florida officer turns a misdemeanor into a felony under § 784.07, but only if the State can prove you knew the victim was a covered official. How the reclassification works, who it covers, and when it doesn't apply.
Florida assault charges range from a 60-day second-degree misdemeanor to a 5-year felony depending on whether a deadly weapon or felonious intent was involved, and who the alleged victim was. What §§ 784.011 and 784.021 actually require, and when self-defense applies.
A criminal record doesn't automatically block a green card, but specific convictions trigger inadmissibility grounds with limited waivers, and a 2026 USCIS policy memo makes even eligible cases more discretionary. What actually stops an application, what can be waived, and how the process works.
Florida battery charges range from a 1-year misdemeanor to a 30-year first-degree felony depending on injury, weapon use, and who the alleged victim is. What §§ 784.03, 784.041, and 784.045 actually require, and when self-defense applies.
Florida charges resisting an officer two ways, without violence (a first-degree misdemeanor) and with violence (a third-degree felony). Where the line falls, what the State must prove, and why the lawfulness of the officer's conduct matters.
Burglary is always a felony in Florida: 5 years to life depending on the place, who was present, and what happened inside. How § 810.02 grades it, and where the real fights are.