After your license has been suspended or revoked, it may be possible to obtain a hardship license. Depending on the type of hardship license, your driving will be restricted in scope. After you attend a hearing at the DHSMV and a restriction is placed on your license, your driving must fit the classification of the restriction. Restrictions may include business purposes only, employment only, ignition interlock, or eyeglasses. Driving outside the restriction will result in you being charged with a criminal violation. You may be arrested and forced to spend the night in jail. Some officers will just issue you a criminal citation with a mandatory court date. If you are on probation, that will subject you to a violation of probation warrant being signed for your arrest. Aside from any penalty that the court will impose on your criminal case, if you get convicted of violating your restricted license you will lose your restriction. For example, if you have a business purposes only license as a result of a habitual traffic offender revocation, and you get convicted of this new charge, you will lose your restriction and be forced to wait one year before you can reapply. In Florida, not having a license is a brutal consequence of not paying off tickets in time or accumulating a habitual revocation. HOWEVER, if the Court and the state attorney is willing to withhold adjudication, then your restriction will not be lost and you will be able to cotinue to drive.
If you are charged with this criminal traffic offense contact our office immediately to speak with one of our attorneys. Depending on what your driver’s license restriction is, the State Attorney’s Office will often seek substantial jail time. Our attorneys can work zealously on your behalf to achieve the best outcome for you. Call us today at 1-800-FIGHT-IT (344-4848) so we can discuss the particular facts of your case and determine if there are legal defenses to the charge.