Edward Martin Panzica

Edward Panzica

Edward Panzica has been handling DUI cases in Florida since 1989, and over the past 30 years, has handled literally 100s of them in multiple counties. He has more than sufficient experience to represent any client in a DUI case from the moment after arrest through resolution. This may be a good place to remind anyone who has recently experienced a DUI arrest that after such arrest, there are actually two entities that can interfere with your driver’s license – the Florida Court system and the Department of Motor Vehicles. If you are stopped and arrested for a DUI, it is very likely your license will be suspended long before a judge – or a prosecutor- is even assigned to your case. The law provides for an automatic license suspension if you refuse submit to a breath or blood test. If this happens, the arresting officer will confiscate your license immediately, and the DMV (after a 10-day period) has the power to administratively suspend your license for a certain period of time There is a way to keep your driving privileges with no administrative restrictions on your license, but it requires that you request a formal administrative hearing before the eleventh day after your arrest. This hearing is held before a hearing officer employed by the DMV (not the judge!) and if that hearing is successful, you may get your license back – at least until your court case works its way through the system. However, the burden of proof at these administrative hearings is very low, and an experience DUI attorney will tell you that although formal Review hearings can be an important tool in DUI defense, there are potential downsides to requesting one, and potentially big benefits to waiving the hearing. If you elect to ACTIVELY waive your right to have that hearing, (and if you have never had a prior DUI suspension) the DMV now allows you to get a Business Purposes license immediately. If you request the hearing and the hearing is lost, the 90-day “hard” suspension for refusing will be applied. In any case, when his clients have the 10-day rule option in front of them, Edward Panzica will always tell his clients that during that period of time the absolute worst thing you can do is nothing. He will not tell them to "just go to DUI school" without a full, if somewhat complex, explanation of the advantages and disadvantages of either option. The bottom line is, attorneys cannot and should not request a formal review hearing without clear and timely instructions to do so.