Driving While License Suspended in Pinellas County

Under Section 322.34(2), F.S., if you drive knowing that your driving privileges were canceled, suspended, or revoked, you can be charged with a crime. The penalties depend on the number of prior offenses, including:

• a first offense can be charged as a second degree misdemeanor punishable by up to:
  • 60 days in jail; or
  • 6 months probation
• a second or subsequent offense can be charged as a first degree misdemeanor punishable by up to:
  • 12 months in jail; or
  • 12 months probation.

A third or subsequent offense requires a minimum mandatory of 10 days in the Pinellas County jail.

Driving while your license is canceled, suspended, or revoked can be charged as a third degree felony for a third offense, if the current violation or the most recent prior violation is related to losing your license for:

• driving under the influence (DUI);
• refusal to submit to a urine, breath-alcohol, or blood alcohol test;
• a traffic offense causing death or serious bodily injury; or
• fleeing or eluding.

A third degree felony is punishable by up to five years on probation or incarceration in Florida State Prison.

Attorney for DWLSR in Pinellas County, FL

If you were arrested for driving while your license was suspended, revoked, or canceled in Pinellas County, FL, contact an attorney at Sammis Law Firm.

We represent clients on a variety of traffic crimes, including DUI, racing, reckless driving, fleeing to elude, and leaving the scene of a crime.

Visit our offices in Clearwater, FL, near the Criminal Justice Center (CJC) courthouse on 49th Street.

Don’t face the judge alone. Call (727) 210-7004.

How Can the Prosecutor Prove Knowledge?

The prosecutor might prove that you had knowledge if:

• you were previously cited as provided in s. 322.34(1), F.S.; or
• you admitted to the officer that you knew of the cancellation, suspension, or revocation, or suspension or revocation equivalent status; or
• you received notice as provided in s. 322.34(4), F.S.

Florida law provides for a rebuttable presumption that the knowledge requirement is satisfied if a judgment or order as provided in s. 322.23(4), F.S., appears in the department’s records for any case except for one involving a suspension by the department for failure to pay a traffic fine or for a financial responsibility violation. See Section 322.34(2), F.S.

Under Section 322.34(4), F.S., any judgment or order rendered by a court or adjudicatory body or any uniform traffic citation that cancels, suspends or revokes a person’s driver license or places a person under suspension or revocation equivalent status must contain a provision notifying the person that his or her driver license has been canceled, suspended, or revoked, or of such suspension or revocation equivalent status.

Read more about how criminal traffic crimes in Pinellas County, FL.

Suspension or Revocation Equivalent Status in Florida

The term “suspension or revocation equivalent status” is a designation for a person who does not have a driver’s license or driving privilege but would qualify for suspension or revocation of his or her driver’s license or driving privilege if licensed.

The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles may designate a person as having suspension or revocation equivalent status in the same manner as it is authorized to suspend or revoke a driver’s license or driving privilege by law.

Additional Resources

Driver License Suspensions in Pinellas – Visit the Pinellas County Tax Collector’s website to learn why a driver’s license might be suspended or revoked and ways to obtain reinstatement. 

This article was last updated on Thursday, August 15, 2024.