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Darren Finebloom, ESQ., holds the highest rating by Martindale-Hubbell (AV Preeminent), has been recognized as a rising star in the criminal defense world by Super Lawyers Magazine in 2010 and he has a superb rating from the independent legal rating service Avvo. Darren has been defending the rights of those accused of a crime for over 10 years. I always said ”the poor deserve as good as a defense as the wealthy” and that is what I sought to do in my early days as Public Defender. Darren Finebloom has a tried over 70 cases in the State of Florida. In fact he has won over 64% of his cases that were tried to a jury.
Originally from Miami, Florida. Darren received his Bachelors Degree in Criminology from Florida State University in 1996. Thereafter, Darren attended law school at Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, where he graduated with Honors in 2000, upon graduation from law school and passing the Florida Bar, Darren relocated to Sarasota, Florida and accepted a job at the Public Defender’s Office for The Twelfth Judicial Circuit.
Over the years he has personally represented clients who have been charged with serious felonies and misdemeanors in both State and Federal Courts throughout the State of Florida. When someone is accused or charged, regardless of whether it is a DUI, child abuse, sexual assault, drug possession, theft, or homicide, no one possesses more motivation than Mr. Finebloom in zealously protecting his client’s rights under the law and seeing to it that they are afforded a fair trial. He combines his trial experience with a personal commitment to his clients in order to offer competent representation in a supportive, hands-on environment.
Darren is a member of The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, The Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the National College of DUI Defense, and The Sarasota County Bar Association. In addition, Darren lectured at The Florida Breath Testing Conference for Law Enforcement in 2004 and is a volunteer Judge for the Sarasota County Teen Court Program.
Darren is admitted to practice before all Florida State Courts and Federal Courts including the Middle, Southern and Northern Districts of Florida.
David Haenel was recently named the 2004 State of Florida DUI Prosecutor of the Year. David has extensive experience litigating DUI and traffic issues and has spent over three years training prosecutors and law enforcement to deal with all aspects of traffic related crime. In addition, David has given presentations to the International Association of Chemical Testers on issues involving evidentiary breath testing. Recently, David lectured during the annual Florida Breath Test Conference sponsored by the Institute of Police Technology and Management.
David has successfully completed the Laser Operators Course for the State of Florida, a course designed to train law enforcement to effectively operate Laser speed measuring devices.
David graduated in the top third of his class from Widener Law School in 1999 and then received a Master’s of Law Degree (LLM) from SUNY Buffalo School of Law in 2000. David is a member of the Sarasota County Bar Association, the Judge John M. Scheb American Inn of Court, and the International Association for Chemical Testing.
David is admitted to practice before the State Courts of Florida and New Jersey as well as the Federal District Court for the Middle District of Florida.
Stephen C. Higgins, Esq., originally from Essex, Connecticut, joined the firm in 2006 after practicing law in New Jersey. Prior to joining the firm, Stephen worked at Brown & Connery, LLP as a civil attorney, focusing primarily on employment law and business litigation. In his capacity as a civil attorney with Brown & Connery, Stephen worked on cases involving employment discrimination, hostile work environment, and retaliatory termination. Stephen also participated in business related matters including cases involving antitrust, monopolization and unfair competition.
As an attorney with Finebloom & Haenel, Stephen has already become known as a zealous advocate for his clients, representing individuals charged with DUI, violations of probation, battery, theft and driving while license suspended. Stephen is intimately familiar with traffic ticket defense in Hillsborough, Manatee, Sarasota and Pinellas counties and will work hard to represent each client individually to achieve the best result.
In June 2000, Stephen received a Bachelor of Science degree with a minor in Sociology from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. During law school, Stephen served as an extern for the Honorable Freda L. Wolfson, U.S.D.C.J, District of New Jersey, Camden Vicinage. In January 2005, Stephen received a dual degree, earning a Juris Doctorate degree from Rutgers Law School and a Masters in Business Administration Degree with a specialization in law, from Rutgers Graduate School of Business.
Stephen is a member of the Florida, New Jersey and Pennsylvania bars. He is admitted to practice before the state and federal courts of Florida, state courts in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, Third Circuit Court of Appeals and the District Courts of New Jersey.
Stephen is also a member of the Hillsborough and Sarasota County Bar Associations, Association of Trial Lawyers of America, Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
AnneMarie Rizzo is a former Assistant State Attorney with extensive trial experience in the State of Florida. She graduated with her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida, Magna Cum Laude. She graduated from the University of Florida Levin College of Law with her Juris Doctorate. During law school, AnneMarie was trying criminal traffic and domestic violence cases as lead prosecutor during her internship with the State Attorney’s Office in Gainesville, Florida. During her tenure as an Assistant State Attorney she specialized in prosecuting DomesticViolence and Criminal Traffic cases. She assisted hundreds of victims involved in Domestic Violence relationships in criminal prosecution and assisted victims at hearings seeking protective injunctions. AnneMarie leaves a legacy of winning four separate, consecutive criminal traffic jury trials in the same trial week. She was appointed as a Special Prosecutor by the Governor of Florida to represent the State of Florida on a DUI case in Lee County in 2007 which resulted in another favorable jury verdict for her at trial. She has quickly gained the reputation of being an aggressive and zealous advocate.
AnneMarie has trained law enforcement officers and prosecutors across the state specifically in the areas of evidence based prosecution and trial advocacy in Domestic Violence and Criminal Traffic. She also has trained medical doctors at SHANDS UF and Child Protective Investigators with the Department of Children and Families in the area of domestic violence and family dynamics. AnneMarie has successfully completed the Advanced DUI School hosted by the Florida Prosecutor Attorney Association. She also has successfully completed the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus Course sponsored by the Institute of Police Technology and Management, a course designed to train law enforcement to effectively identify impairment in individuals suspected to be driving under the influence. (A field sobriety exercise regularly used on the roads today) AnneMarie also attended and successfully completed the Trial Advocacy School at the National Advocacy Center held at the Department of Justice in South Carolina.
Locally, AnneMarie serves in the community as Chair of Sarasota County Bar Association Young Lawyers Division Law Week Committee where she recruits attorneys to teach high school students about the legal system. She also has served as a Guardian ad Litem since January 2004 and continues to help children involved in dependency cases have a voice in court. In addition, she spends time serving as a presiding judge over Teen Court proceedings in Sarasota County. AnneMarie is involved in other local organizations such as Florida Association of Woman Lawyers, Young Professional Group of Sarasota, and Junior League of Sarasota.
Most people throughout Florida don’t realize that if you pay your ticket it’s an automatic admission and adjudication of guilt on your driving record. In addition, points will be assessed for all moving violations toward a license suspension. Often, insurance companies use this information as a justification to raise your insurance rates.
In most traffic ticket cases, our defense attorneys advise prospective clients that they should not pay their traffic or speeding tickets before we asess the merits of their case.At Finebloom and Haenel, we are dedicated to reaching a desirable outcome for your traffic ticket. Best of all, you are not required to make a court appearance. Contact your Florida Traffic ticket attorneys TODAY.
Additional Traffic Ticket Information – Points:
15 MPH or less over lawful or posted speed: 3 Points
16 MPH or more over lawful or posted speed: 4 points
Leaving the scene of an accident with property damage more than $50: 6 points
Unlawful speed resulting in an accident: 6 points
Reckless Driving: 4 points
Any moving violation resulting in an accident: 4 points
All other moving violations: 3 points
Open container as an operator: 3 points
Fines are doubled when infractions occur within a school zone or construction zone, with possible civil penalties up to $1,000 and you can be required to complete a driving course.
The Law Offices of Finebloom & Haenel provides traffic ticket defense for speeding ticket, traffic violation, running a red light, toll violation, had your license suspended, involved in a traffic accident, or have been arrested for DUI.
If you have questions regarding a Florida traffic ticket, call our criminal defense attorneys TODAY!
If your license has been suspended or revoked, please visit our license suspension website for more information about how our lawyers can help.
The most common civil traffic citation given by law enforcement around the state is for the offense of speeding. In 2007, there were 1.3 million speeding tickets issued by police in the State of Florida. That number is not a true reflection on the real number of speeding tickets, because law enforcement has the discretion to cut “someone a break” and charge them with violating the speed limit sign. That violation is referred to as violation of a traffic control device, and it is possible that the number of speeding tickets would be closer to 1.8 million. Given those unbelievable numbers in the Florida, Speeding tickets can be divided in to 3 distinct categories as far as punishment is concerned.
1) 15 MPH OR LESS OVER THE LAWFUL OR POSTED SPEED
Receiving a citation for going 15mph or less over the speed limit carries with it a fine along with 3 points on your license. The amount of fine is usually listed on the back of the ticket and is actually set by each individual county. The points will stay on your license for 3 years and the ticket will be on your driving record forever. Depending on your insurance company it could also result in an insurance increase. No court date is required if your citation fits within this category. You can either pay it and get the points, do traffic school if eligible, or contact our office immediately to obtain information on fighting it.
2) 16 MPH OR MORE OVER THE LAWFUL OR POSTED SPEED
Receiving a citation for going 16mph or more over the speed limit carries with it a specific fine along with 4 points going on your license. The amount of fine is usually listed on the back of the ticket or you can visit a website that lists every clerk’s office. Then just look in the upper left hand corner of your citation and find the county in which you received the citation. The points will stay on your license for 3 years and the ticket will stay on your record forever. Depending on your insurance company it could also result in your insurance costs increasing. No court date is required.
3) 30 MPH OR MORE OVER THE LAWFUL OR POSTED SPEED
This is the 2nd most serious type of speeding citation you can receive. If you receive a citation for going 30mph over the posted speed limit, it carries with it a fine, possibility of 4 points on your license, possibility of a license suspense, and a mandatory court date. The amount of fine is set by the Judge at the court hearing. The points will stay on your license for 3 years and the ticket will stay on your record forever. Depending on your insurance company it could also result in your insurance costs increasing. Failing to appear at your court date could result in your license being suspended. This is referred to a D-6 suspension. If your license is suspended click here to go to our license suspensions website.
4) 50 MPH OR MORE OVER THE SPEED LIMIT-STATUTE 316.1926
Beginning October 1, 2008, the Florida legislature passed a new speeding bill. If you are charged with driving 50 MPH over the posted speed limit pursuant to Florida statute 316.1926, you will be facing a civil penalty of $1000.00. On a second offense, the fine is up to $2500.00 and the court will revoke your license for a period of one year. On a third offense you will be charged with a third degree felony and will face a fine up to $5000.00 and the loss of your driver’s license for 10 years.
Regardless of which type of ticket you receive we do not recommend just paying the ticket before contacting our office to go over possible defenses. Often we are able to get the ticket dismissed or keep the points off your license, which normally will save your insurance costs from increasing. **In addition you will not have to attend your court date, we will attend it for you.
**each insurance company is different, contact your carrier to discuss how receiving a ticket will affect you.
Driving Under the Influence is a very complex offense. Many people charged with this crime have never been involved in the court system and are unfamiliar with the long lasting effects of a DUI conviction. There are several issues involved in DUI. It is important to speak with a lawyer from our team immediately in order to ensure that each variable is scrutinized and defended carefully. Just one flaw can make a huge difference in the outcome of your case. Our job, as your team of lawyers, is to evaluate the facts of your particular case and determine the very best defense strategy for your case. Our job is to poke a hole in the state’s case, to find a weakness in the chain. Once we find it, we will drive a truck through it.
Under Florida Law, a person is guilty of the offense of Driving Under the Influence if the person is (1) under the influence of any alcoholic beverage or chemical substances when affected to the extent their normal faculties are impaired OR (2) the person has a breath alcohol content over .08.
It seems that no type of infraction causes more publicity in Florida then red light running. In fact, most departments have weeks or stings during which red light running is a top priority. In 2007 there was over 370,000 citations issued for red light violations.
The difference between red light citations and speed cases, is that it is very much a he said she said. That means that the officer testifies you ran the light and you claim you did not. There isn’t mechnical evidence like radar and laser logs or certificates of calibration. Instead an officer’s testimony is usualy the only available evidence against you.
Running a red light can result in 4 points on your license. Oftentimes we have clients come in insisting when they went through the light the light was yellow. We will take your side of the story to court and force the officer to prove the citation. We will do our best to get your citation dismissed or to keep the points off of your license. Remember, you will not receive an 18% reduction for electing traffic school on a red light ticket. You will be forced to pay the entire citation amount and then complete Florida traffic school.
Contact our office to talk to one of our experienced attorneys.
CALL TOLL FREE TODAY (800) FIGHT-IT (344-4848)
Main Office – Sarasota
Finebloom and Haenel, P.A.
200 N. Washington Blvd.
Sarasota, Florida 34236
Phone: (941) 953-2622
Click here for a map and directions
Tampa Office
Finebloom and Haenel, P.A.
3426 West Kennedy Boulevard
Tampa, FL 33609
Phone: (813) 649-8690
Click here for a map and directions
Clearwater Office
Finebloom and Haenel, P.A.
4500 140th Avenue N #101
Clearwater, FL 33762
Phone: (727) 217-9795
Click Here for a map and directions
Orlando Office
Finebloom and Haenel, P.A.
189 South Orange Ave.
Suite 1850S
Orlando, FL 32801
(407) 472-1912
Click here for map and directions
Email:
david@fightyourcase.com
Finebloom and Haenel, P.A.
Sarasota Office (main office)
200 N. Washington Blvd.
Sarasota, Florida 34237
(941) 953-2622
