Tampa DUI While Boating

"What began as an Anclote River boat trip to watch the sunset nearly four years ago ended today with a 15-year prison sentence for the boat's driver, a Tarpon Springs father who killed his friend after crashing into a dock while drunk.

Matthew Aime, 26, was piloting a 14-foot aluminum johnboat before midnight on Nov. 17, 2005, when he veered onto mud flats and smashed into a dock. The collision paralyzed Robin Raihan, 50, who fell into the water with a broken back and drowned.

A jury found him guilty of boating under the influence manslaughter and reckless operation of a vessel April 30.

At his sentencing today, 13 people who identified themselves as cousins, construction supervisors, neighbors and best friends of Aime pleaded for leniency from Judge Cynthia Newton, calling the father of three a hard worker who never denied a request for help."

I posted earlier about the topic of Florida BUI, so won't get into a deep analysis here. See Florida DUI penalties for more information on what one might face for a boating DUI in FL.

Got a DUI , Get a Lawyer

Driving under the influence is not something that law enforcement anywhere takes lightly, and this is also true of Tampa, Florida. The state of Florida uses the standard 0.08% blood alcohol level as its legal limit. If you exceed that limit many of your physical and mental capacities are handicapped to the point of being dangerous to others on the road. If you are stopped by a police officer and found to have a blood alcohol level exceeding the limit, you will be arrested on the spot and charged with a DUI.

If you do get arrested for a DUI in Tampa then you need to retain the services of a reputable lawyer. They will be able to best plead your case since the DUI laws in Florida are very complicated. You need someone who has the experience and knowledge to deal with this charge. Look for a lawyer who will remain in contact with you and let you know what's going on at all times. They should also be understanding in regard you and your case. You will know when you have a good lawyer. They should be willing to contact their own investigation into the circumstances of your arrest; this is the only way they can find the best defense for you. They should interview and eye witnesses and negotiate the case with the prosecutor. And if your lawyer will challenge any and all evidence brought against you in court, then you have a keeper.

Driving under the influence in Florida is often punished very harshly, which is why having a good lawyer is so important. If you're convicted in Tampa you can face consequences including fines, probation, community service, suspension of your driver's license, and even jail time. A good lawyer can make the difference between a fine or community service and going to jail. Normally if its your first conviction, a typical penalty is a fine and less than 6 months in jail. A second conviction could earn you a higher fine and up to 9 months in jail. A third DUI would most likely be charged as a felony, which is where you really run into trouble.

There are many possible defenses in these types of cases. This can mean trying to get the breath test results excluded from trial, or getting and statement's you made to the police excluded. More commonly it can be a motion to dismiss the case because the traffic stop was illegal, or to suppress evidence gathered in the case of an unwarranted arrest. Less commonly your defense could be claiming actual police misconduct or failure to be read your Miranda warnings. These are just a few examples of possible defenses and a good lawyer will be able to advise which is the best to use in your case. This is why getting a competent lawyer is an absolutely necessity.

Florida DUI Attorneys

While drinking and driving are two separate commodities in American life, mixing them can lead to problems and often to an offense in the eyes of the law. If you live in Florida and are accused of a DUI (driving under the influence), you will need a good lawyer.

Among the states, Florida ranks quite high in the amount of DUI cases. As in practically any state, traffic rules and violations are stringently followed. If they are broken, the penalties are usually severe. DUI lawyers who specialize in law dealing with drunk driving often handle these cases.

Florida attorneys have to be well versed in DUI cases in order to succeed. They have to be good because their job for the defendant is to see that the penalty is either wiped out or diminished greatly. In most cases, the state has to be in agreement and will first make sure that not much damage (both property and life) was rendered by the defendant. Florida DUI lawyers have ways and means of finding out loopholes either in the provision of the law or the manner in which they are enforced in reference to the 'then' status of the client. Police misconduct in such circumstances can also be the natural outcome.

To find a good Florida DUI attorney, one must consult people who are familiar with these lawyers. Ask questions about the lawyer’s recent performances and achievements. Attorneys who handle cases in the more affluent areas like Dade, Hillsborough, Orange, Miami Beach and Tampa are particularly in demand. These lawyers generally have pretty steep fees, but they provide great relief from problems like heavy DUI penalties, loss of license and spending days behind the bars.

DUI Attorney Tampa, Florida Increases Visitors to Website through Virtual Videos

A DUI attorney Tampa, Florida could increase the number of visitors to their website by placing a virtual video of what it’s like to drive while intoxicated on their website in hopes of determining people from drinking and driving.



It’s very important for St. Petersburg DUI attorneys to have a Web presence in addition to their real-world brick-and-mortar location because the majority of people who are seeking information about a DUI Attorney look to the Internet before looking to any other media. And that includes their local phone book, newspapers and magazines and television and radio advertisements. The phonebook is almost an obsolete form of information because it only offers a telephone number which people have to call for more information and newspapers and magazines only offer slightly more information with perhaps a map to the location or hours of operation; radio and television commercials are mostly ignored unless they are big budget productions for brand-name merchandise.



The Internet gives consumers so much more information because most websites offer articles about a business such as a South Florida web design company. These articles offer information about what a business does, the products and services a business has to offer consumers and any other type of information that would be beneficial to a consumer when making an educated and informed decision about which kept her service to purchase.

DUI Attorney Tampa, Florida Uses SEO to Gain Targeted Customers

A Clearwater DUI lawyer could increase their revenue by participating in search engine optimization or SEO. Search engine optimization is a free and automatic Internet marketing service sponsored by the three major search engines - Google, Yahoo!, and MSN.



Even though a DUI lawyer is a real-world brick-and-mortar style business, they should invest in an Internet presence such as a website in order to attract more targeted customers through the website and into their real-world store. In today’s technologically advanced world, more and more people are turning to the Internet to search for what they need and want above all other media combined. The phonebook has become nearly obsolete because it makes a consumer work for the information by dialing a telephone number and asking for more information. Newspapers and magazines offer slightly more information than a telephone book and radio and television advertising spots are the most informative with big-budget productions of name brand products or services but are typically reserved for those major companies that can afford the high cost of advertising on these mediums and products most of the products have already been heard of.



Once the St. Petersburg DUI attorneys have a website up and running, they can participate in search engine optimization using keyword rich articles placed on their website in order to attract the three major search engines which send out their “feelers” so that they might locate the keywords and keyword phrases within the articles and among the websites and then rank the websites according to a special formula. Keywords and keyword phrases are the words potential customers place in the search boxes on the search engines in order to find what they need or want.



A DUI attorney Tampa, Florida could write their own keyword rich articles or have them written by a professional SEO writer. Once a keyword rich article has been written, it could be used in other places on the Internet to continually attract the three major search engines and re-rank the DUI attorneys website in hopes of gaining a better position on the search engines listings.