Category: Criminal Defense

Philip J. Bonamo, PartnerFlorida Bar Board Certified Criminal Defense Attorney In a recent appellate court decision, the 2nd District Court of Appeal for Florida ruled that law enforcement cannot search a vehicle only on the basis of smelling cannabis. The case stemsfrom the Tampa Bay area, when in 2023 the police, during a routine stop […]

From time to time, I will receive a call from individuals who have gone through thelengthy process under Florida law to obtain what is called an Order of Expungement to have theircriminal charge/case removed from the public record and to have the court file physicallydestroyed. They have qualified for such Order due to their criminal […]

With the recent end to the Florida legislative session, the Governor of Florida has signed into law 174 bills sent to him for review and approval. Several of the news laws, which will take effect either July 1 or October 1 of this year, deal with criminal law statutes. A few of the new criminal […]

The Florida Supreme Court, in a 5-1 Opinion, ruled this month that law enforcement can order a driver out of their vehicle they have pulled over for a routine traffic stop, for officer safety before conducting a vehicle sweep.

Based on legislation that was signed into law last year by the Governor of Florida and that went into effective January 1, 2024, the highest Court in the state of Florida, the Florida Supreme Court, must now adopt a uniform bond schedule and be distributed to the twenty judicial circuits in Florida.

Over the many years that I have been a criminal defense attorney, I have heard from many, many individuals during the initial consults, “they didn’t read me my Miranda.” I then ask the person if they made any statements to law enforcement after being arrested about the situation or the crime they have been arrested for, and most times they say no, but they feel that in some fashion not being read their “Miranda Warnings” has an effect on the validity of the arrest.

The Florida Legislature is in full swing for the 2023 Legislative Session in Tallahassee, Florida, and the Florida Senate Criminal Justice Committee is already active with 39 bills pending action before the committee. Some of the key bills to keep an eye on this session are the following:

This year saw a sweeping movement in the Florida Legislature of proposed bills that would have had a large impact on the criminal justice system in Florida. While many of these bills did not become law in Florida, there were several that did, and that went into effect a few months ago- July 1, 2022. This article focuses on 2 of the new Florida criminal laws.

If you’ve been charged with more than one crime, you may be experiencing criminal charge stacking. Continue reading to better understand what criminal charge stacking is and how it could affect you.