Felonies

Felonies are criminal matters in Florida or in the Federal system that have a term of incarceration possible for more than one year. There are generally four degrees of felonies in Florida state court: Life felonies, and felonies of First, Second, and Third degrees. First degree murder is the only offense in Florida which can result in the death penalty. The federal system has an even wider variety of potential felony offenses.   A felony sentence may be served in the county jail if the sentence is one year or less, if the sentence is in excess of one year the sentence will be served in the Florida State Prison system.   Some common examples of felony offense are:

  • Aggravated Assault
  • Aggravated Battery
  • Battery on a Law Enforcement Officer
  • Burglary
  • Child Abuse
  • Drug Possession (All controlled substance offense excluding a misdemaenaor quantity of Marijuana)
  • Felony Battery
  • Carjacking
  • Homicide
  • Kidnapping
  • Resisting an Officer with Violence
  • Felony DUI
  • Sex Crimes
  • Grand Theft

Congress and the Florida legislature have set forth a set of sentencing guidelines. If charged in either federal or state court, felonies can often carry guidelines which call for mandatory incarceration.

There are felonies for which first time offenders can receive a disposition which would not result in an adjudication of guilt. Once a person becomes a convicted of a felony, it is permanently on their record unless pardoned by the Governor or the President. A felony conviction results in the loss of many constitutional rights, including the right to vote, bear arms, serve in the military, and greatly limits the number and types of jobs that you may be able to hold in the future.

Please contact our firm so that we can help you answer such questions as:

  • what defenses do I have;
  • was the search in my case legal;
  • can my statements be used against me;
  • will I lose my driver's license if I enter a plea to a felony or a drug charge;
  • how can I prevent being a convicted felon;
  • can I avoid going to jail or prison;
  • what do I score out to on a scoresheet