Florida License Reinstatement

You may view your ability to get behind the wheel of a car and drive as a right. However, driving is a privilege provided by the state. If you disobey the law, this privilege can be taken away. In rare situations, your privilege to drive may be revoked for life. However, in most scenarios, your driver’s license is suspended only for a period of time. It could be for six months, or it could be for five years. When the suspension or revocation ends, you have the privilege to drive again. Before you can take advantage of it, you need to reinstate your driver’s license.

Sarasota traffic lawyer Erika Valcarcel is here to help you obtain your driver’s license after it was suspended or revoked. Call Erika Valcarcel, Criminal Defense Lawyer, P.A. today at (941) 363-7900 to discuss license reinstatement requirements in Florida

Common Reasons to Lose Your License in Florida

There are multiple issues that could lead to a civil or criminal license suspension or revocation in Florida, including:

• DUI Arrest – Depending on what happens when you are arrested for a DUI, you could face a civil driver’s license suspension. Refusing to submit to a breath test could lead to a one-year suspension. If you submit to a breath, blood, or urine test after a DUI arrest and it shows you are over the legal limit, then your license can be suspended for up to six months.
• DUI Conviction – If you are convicted of a DUI, then you face a criminal driver’s license suspension. The length of a suspension increases based on past DUI convictions and your BAC. If you were convicted of a third DUI, your will lose your license for 10 years.
• Traffic Violation Resulting in Death or Serious Bodily Injury – If you cause one or more other people serious bodily injury or death as the result of a traffic violation other than a DUI, then your license will be suspended for a period of time.
• Failure to Comply with or Pay Traffic Ticket – If you fail to comply with or appear at a traffic summons, or you fail to pay a fine for a traffic ticket, your license may be suspended. Your license remains suspended until you appear in court and pay the fine.
• License Points – Receiving too many traffic citations can have serious consequences, as each one adds driver’s license points to your record. If you accumulate 12 driver’s license points within 12 months, your license is suspended for 30 days. If you accumulate 18 points within 18 months, you face a three-month suspension. Obtaining 24 points within 36 months results in a one-year suspension.
• Failure to Pay Child Support – If you get behind on your child support payments, the Department of Revenue or a court can suspend your license. This suspension lasts until you have caught up with all of your payments.
• Habitual Traffic Offender – The court may revoke your license for five years if you are deemed a habitual traffic offender (HTO). This label arises if you accumulate 15 traffic violations that resulted in license points, or if you were convicted of three felonies in which your vehicle was used.

Reinstatement After a Suspension

If your driver’s license was suspended for any reason, there are steps you must take to have your license officially reinstated before you can drive again. Driving while on a suspended or revoked license, or simply driving without a valid license will lead to an additional ticket and penalties, including being forced to go without a driver’s license for even longer.

Proof the Suspension Is Over

To reinstate your license, your suspension period needs to be over. You either must resolve the underlying issue, such as unpaid child support, or complete the entire suspension period. If you are unsure of when your suspension officially began and when it ends, contact a lawyer right away. You may need to take proof of the suspension’s completion, such as a court order, with you to your local driver’s license office.

Advanced Driver Improvement (ADI) School

If your license was suspended for accumulating too many points, if your license was revoked after you were labeled an HTO (not related to DUI offenses), or if the court ordered you to complete ADI, then you must enroll in and complete the program before you can get your license back.

Other Conditions

Depending on the underlying reasons for your suspension, there may be other conditions you have to meet before your license is reinstated. For instance, if you were convicted of a DUI, you may be required to complete alcohol rehabilitation before you can get your license back. You may also need proof of auto insurance.

Be sure you have completed all court-mandated conditions for your license reinstatement. If you are unsure of any additional requirements in your situation, have a lawyer review your case.

Reinstatement Fees

Reinstating your license will cost you, though the reinstatement fee varies depending on the underlying offense. For failure to comply with or pay a traffic ticket, you will pay a D-6 suspension reinstatement fee of $60.00. For reinstating your license after failing to pay child support, you will pay $60.00. For other suspensions, you must pay a suspension reinstatement fee of $45.00.

Additionally, if your situation involved drugs or alcohol, you must pay an additional $130.00 administrative fee.

Contact Erika Valcarcel, Criminal Defense Lawyer, P.A. Today

If your driver’s license was suspended or revoked and you are wondering what you can do next, contact attorney Erika Valcarcel immediately. Once your period of a hard suspension (during which no driving whatsoever is permitted) is over, you can fight to receive a license that will allow you to drive to and from work. And once your full suspension period is finished, attorney Valcarcel will help you reinstate your license right away.

For more information on license reinstatement, call Erika Valcarcel, Criminal Defense Lawyer, P.A. at (941) 363-7900 or use the online form to schedule a free consultation.