by

Normally, if you receive a ticket in Jacksonville, Florida, you are given options. You may pay the Jacksonville traffic ticket. You may elect to take the traffic school. You may set a court date and appear in Duval County traffic court. However, in some cases, normally Criminal Traffic Citation, you are not given a choice. You must appear before the judge to plea your case. In addition, Jacksonville traffic citations orders you to set a court date within a certain time period (usually 30 days following the date of citation). If you have received a ticket that orders this, it is likely that you have received a criminal traffic citation. This is not a basic ticket. It will be part of your Florida criminal record.

Therefore, you need to take this infraction seriously. You do not want to enter a plea of no contest or guilty to the ticket without first speaking with a Jacksonville Criminal Traffic Lawyer. If you have been issued a criminal traffic ticket, contact Jacksonville Criminal Defense Lawyer today. You need to understand your rights, defenses, and options available under Florida Law.

by

In most cases, you can prevent a perosn from seeing your Florida Criminal Record if you get your record sealed or expunged. In order to do this, you must meet certain criteria. Florida Statute Section 943.0585 lists the requirements for expunging a Florida Criminal Record. Florida Statute Section 943.059 sets forth the requirements for sealing a Florida Criminal Record. Read How to Seal a Criminal Record in Jacksonville, Florida to learn more about the requirements for a Florida Record Seal. Read Getting a Criminal Record Expunged in Jacksonville, Florida for more information on a Florida Record Expunction.

Sealing or Expunging your Florida Criminal Record will not stop every government agency from seeing your record, but it will work for most back ground checks. This is important to many people that are unemployed and looking for jobs. If you have your record sealed or expunged, you may legally deny the arrest.

by

Yesterday, two robbery suspects were arrested in connection with the armed robbery of a store in Jacksonville, Florida. Edward Littleon, age 22, and Frederick Jennings, age 17, are being held in Duval County, Florida. News4jax.com has reported that the Jacksonville Criminal Defendants are accused of stealing “money from the Family Dollar cash office and [making] the employees lie on the floor.” An off-duty officer, G.W. Germann, confronted the two suspected robbers. Jacksonville police have reported that “Germann shot [Littleton] in the shoulder, because he was carrying an AK-47 assault rifle,” and “Jennings was armed with a loaded revolver.”

Although the Jacksonville Juvenile Robbery Defendant, Jennings, is only 17 years-old, he will likely be charged as an adult, due to the severity of the crime, and his co-defendant will be charged in adult criminal court. Since they both were armed with firearms, they are facing the Florida 10-20-Life Statute. Therefore, they are facing a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in the Florida State Prison. However, a Youthful Offender Sentence may be available, depending on the circumstances.

by

Last month, a Jax Beach man was shoot and killed in Jacksonville Beach, Florida. Three men have been arrested for this Jacksonville Beach shooting. Jacksonville police suspect that the shooter was William Brown, age 18. Local media (News4Jax) has reported that

“investigators also arrested two other suspects locally in Neptune Beach. They were identified as 27-year-old Adam Holleran, who’s charged with armed robbery, and 27-year-old Matthew Webber, who’s charged with armed robbery and accessory after the fact.”

According to the media reports, it appears that Brown gave information to police that resulted in his arrest. The information that he provided about this Jacksonville robbery and shooting likely led to the result of the other two suspect. Therefore, each of these Jacksonville Criminal Defendants will have a conflict of interest and need separate Jacksonville Criminal Lawyers.

by

In St. Johns County, Florida, three juveniles were arrested for burglary to a house in Fruit Cove, Florida. Jordan Michael Golden (16) and Cameron Matthew Straughn (15) were arrested for armed burglary to a dwelling, dealing in stolen property and grand theft. Another juvenile criminal defendant, Gavin Michael Loftus has been charged with Florida dealing in stolen property and obstruction by giving false information to a law enforcement officer in St. Johns County, Florida. (See Three Fruit Cove Teens Arrested in Connection with Burglary in the First Coast News for entire article and pictures).

The charges are all felonies and extremely serious crimes. No only are these Fruit Cove Juveniles looking at possible incarceration, but they charges could haunt them in the future. With a future ahead of them, it is important that they make the right decisions in their cases. They should certainly have separate representation due to the potential conflict of interest with these St. Johns County juvenile defendants. When co-defendants are arrested, they often turn against one another. It is important that each Clay County criminal defendant has his own Clay County Criminal Lawyer, so an attorney is looking out for the individual’s best interest.

by

Expunging a juvenile record may not prevent you from expunging or sealing an adult criminal record, in Jacksonville, Florida. Florida Statute Section 943.0582 permits a juvenile to expunge his or her record if he or she meets certain requirements (See Expunging a Florida Juvenile Record). If the Jacksonville Juvenile criminal record was expunged pursuant to Florida Statute Section 943.0582, the juvenile may still be eligible to have a future Jacksonville criminal arrest sealed under Section 943.059 or expunged under Section 943.0585, Florida Statutes. Section 943.0582(6) specifically states that:

“Expunction or sealing granted under this section does not prevent the minor who receives such relief from petitioning for the expunction or sealing of a later criminal history record as provided for in ss. 943.0585 and 943.059, if the minor is otherwise eligible under those sections.”

by

In Jacksonville, you can expunge a Florida juvenile record. Pursuant to Section 943.0582, Florida Statutes, a juvenile criminal defendant can apply to have his or her record sealed if he or she has successfully completed a prearrest or postarrest diversion program. In Jacksonville, this program is known as pretrial intervention or diversion. There are certain requirements that must be met, including the following:

1. The minor must submit an application signed by the minor’s parent or legal guardian no later than six (6) months after completing the diversion program.

2. The minor must include an official written statement from the state attorney certifying that the minor successfully completed the Jacksonville juvenile diversion program and that participation in the program is strictly limited to minors arrested for a nonviolent misdemeanor who have not otherwise been charged with or found to have committed any criminal offense or comparable ordinance violation.

Continue reading

by

Question: I have already had an arrest record expunged. I was arrested in Jacksonville, Florida, and I want to get that sealed or expunged. Is it possible to seal or expunge my new Florida arrest if I have already had my record expunged before?

Answer: Usually, not you cannot have your record sealed or expunged twice. Under Section 943.0585(2)(f) and 943.059(2)(e), a Florida criminal defendant cannot have his criminal record sealed if he has secured a record sealing or expunction under one of these sections or “former s. 893.14, former s. 901.33, or former s. 943.058, unless expunction is sought of a criminal history record previously sealed for 10 years pursuant to [943.0585(h)] and the record is otherwise eligible for expunction.” Fla. Stat. § 943.0585(2)(f) (2011). Therefore, you cannot petition the court to seal or expunge your Florida criminal arrest record under Section 943.0585 or 943.059 and then seal or expunge another crime. However, if you sealed a record under Section 943.059, and it has been sealed for 10 years, you may be eligible to expunge that arrest in Florida.

There is also an exceptions for minors, Florida Juvenile Offenders, under Section 943.0582(6) of the Florida Statutes (See Can I Seal or Expunge My Florida Criminal Record if I had My Juvenile Recorded Expunged?).

by

The Florida-Georgia game is the largest football game of the year in Jacksonville, Florida. People begin tailgating around the stadium days before the game. This college football game attracts Florida Gator and Georgia Bulldog fans of all ages. Naturally, this college football game is bound to attract University of Florida and University of Georgia fans alike. Most college students are under 21 years of age and therefore unable to legally consume alcohol. However, this does not stop most of them from drinking. The Florida Times Union has reported that “last year, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the Florida Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco wrote 213 citations for underage possession of alcohol during the big weekend.” Many of the police officers will be dressed in plain clothes, so it will be easier for them to find offenders.

This is a Big time for Jacksonville and Visitors alike, but we must make sure the environment stays safe and orderly. Therefore, if you choose to indulge in the festivities and games of this weekend make sure you are of legal drinking age (21 in Florida) and be safe. Everyone wants to have a fun weekend, lets make sure we keep it that way!

However, If you are cited or arrested for an alcohol offense, do not plea guilty or no contest to the Jacksonville criminal charge without first consulting with a Jacksonville Criminal Defense Lawyer. Even if you merely pay a citation, you may be doing something that will later affect your criminal record. Contact a Jacksonville Criminal Defense Lawyer today to discuss your case and determine what we can do for you.

by

If you are charged with a misdemeanor drug crime in Jacksonville, Florida, there are somethings that you should know. Although the crime is a misdemeanor, a drug crime is not a minor crime. For instance, possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana is a misdemeanor in Florida. However, it carries serious ramifications. You can receive up to one year in jail for the charge. Even if you do not receive a jail sentence for possession of marijuana, it is still on your criminal record. Schools, potential employers, and the general public will be able to see your Florida criminal record and the misdemeanor drug charge. If you are convicted of the Jacksonville drug crime, you will not be able to seal or expunge the arrest. Therefore, discussing your case with a Jacksonville Criminal Lawyer before you enter a plea to the drug crime is crucial.

Under Florida Statute Section 322.055, your Florida Drivers License will be suspended for two years in you are convicted of certain drug offenses. While the court may direct the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to issue a hardship license, a hardship license is not available until at least six months of the revocation or suspension has expired. For most people, their Florida drivers license is crucial to maintaining employment, so even six months without a license can result in job losses. Also, if you get caught driving on a suspended license, you are looking at another Jacksonville criminal charge, Florida Driving with a License Suspended or Revoked.

Contact Information
Jacksonville Office
4115 Hendricks Ave
Jacksonville, FL 32207
Phone: (904) 685-1200
Fax: (904) 875-4081
Ponte Vedra Beach Office
822 A1A N #310
Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082
Phone: (904) 425-1910
Fax: (904) 875-4081
Satellite office with limited services and hours.
Call for an appointment.
*The hiring of a lawyer is an important decision that should not be based solely upon advertisements. Before you decide, ask us to send you free written information about our qualifications and experience. The information on this website is not intended to establish an attorney-client relationship, are not confidential, and are not intended to constitute legal advice. Proper legal advice can only be given by an attorney who agrees to represent you, who reviews the facts of your specific case, who does not have a conflict of interest preventing the representation, and who is licensed as an attorney in the state where the law applies. Some states require additional disclosures which may consider the information on this website to be consider advertising and others states require that this page state ATTORNEY ADVERTISING or THIS IS AN ADVERTISEMENT.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Please do not include any confidential or sensitive information in a contact form, text message, or voicemail. The contact form sends information by non-encrypted email, which is not secure. Submitting a contact form, sending a text message, making a phone call, or leaving a voicemail does not create an attorney-client relationship.

Copyright © 2024, Law Office of David M. Goldman PLLC
JUSTIA Law Firm Blog Design