Welcome to The Brancato Law Firm, P.A. blog, where our expert insights, updates, and strategies on criminal law help you understand your rights and defense options in Tampa Bay and beyond.
Choosing a homicide attorney in Florida means verifying real trial experience, a courtroom record of cases tried to verdict, and qualifications under Florida’s capital-case rules. Anyone can advertise as a “homicide attorney.” Few are actually prepared to defend one. The recent reversal of a Florida murder conviction in De Santus v. State, No. 4D2023-2235 (Fla.…
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Florida’s homicide laws sort killings into degrees and categories that produce dramatically different outcomes. The same death can be charged as first-degree murder (death or life without parole) or as manslaughter (15 years maximum) depending on what the prosecution can prove about intent, circumstance, and the defendant’s role. The gap between the worst and best…
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Deciding whether to accept a plea bargain comes down to weighing what the offer gives you against what you risk and give up. The offer provides certainty, often a reduced charge or a lighter sentence, and a faster end to the case. Against that, you weigh the strength of the State’s evidence, your sentencing exposure…
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Florida’s 10-20-Life law, codified at Florida Statute § 775.087, imposes three mandatory minimum prison sentences when a firearm is used during certain enumerated felonies: 10 years for possessing or displaying a firearm, 20 years for discharging it, and 25 years to life if the discharge causes great bodily harm or death. There is no parole,…
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An armed robbery charge in Florida is a first-degree felony. If the state proves you carried a firearm during the offense, Florida’s 10-20-Life statute attaches a 10-year mandatory minimum on top of the underlying sentence. If the firearm was discharged, the floor rises to 20 years. If anyone was injured or killed, the floor is…
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If you suspect you’re under criminal investigation in Florida, you’re probably right to pay attention. Police contact with friends or family, a request to “come in and talk,” a notification from Google or Apple about a government data request, surveillance, or a search warrant can all signal that law enforcement is building a case. At…
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The first question almost every family asks when a loved one is charged with a sex offense in Florida is what a real defense costs. The honest answer is $25,000 on the low end, scaling into six figures for capital sexual battery cases with strong evidence to fight. The fee tracks the charge level under…
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Fighting a domestic violence battery charge in Florida is sometimes possible, but it almost never happens the way people expect. The alleged victim cannot drop the case. Florida law treats domestic violence as a crime against the State, not a private dispute, and the State Attorney decides whether the charges go forward. Cases are won…
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Driving 50 or more miles per hour over the posted speed limit, or 100 mph or more, is now a criminal offense in Florida under § 316.1922, Florida Statutes. A first conviction carries up to 30 days in jail and a $500 fine. A second conviction within five years triggers mandatory license revocation. At The…
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Key Takeaway If your child was arrested at a “teen takeover” in Hillsborough, Pinellas, or Pasco County, the most common charge is affray — a first-degree misdemeanor under Florida law (§870.01). But these events are far more dangerous than a misdemeanor suggests. A teen was shot at the Clearwater Beach takeover, and in an armed…
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