April 13th, 2011

Parking Meters Coming to Downtown Sarasota

Anecdotal arguments that paid parking will scare away patrons and shutter Sarasota’s small businesses have for years kept meters off downtown curbs.

But today, Sarasota will begin installing high tech parking meters to charge for about 460 spots in the downtown core. By mid-May, most will charge $1 per hour Monday through Saturday, payable by cash and credit card.

Those who do not pay will be slapped with a $25 fine, which parking enforcement, armed with new technology, promises to rigorously collect.
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April 8th, 2011

The High Cost of Sarasota Police

The Sarasota Police Department is the single most expensive item in the city budget. The annual police budget requires more money than all the property taxes collected in the city each year. In this fiscal year, the city will raise $16.1 million in property taxes; it will pay for an SPD budget of $25 million. The difference comes from other sources of revenue. The police budget dwarfs all the other city budget items combined.

In reality, the $26 million does not reflect the true cost, because other city departments support the SPD. These include costs for human resources, payroll, some legal fees and purchasing, which are absorbed by other departments. Conversely other city departments make money off the SPD. The department pays $200 to the public works department for an oil change on a cruiser, for example. Determining the true cost of the department is virtually impossible.

The city finance department estimates the actual cost for the SPD is a figure of approximately $31 million, or nearly twice the amount of money raised by property taxes.

This $31 million figure does not include amortization of the new $50 million police headquarters on Adams Lane.

If the building lasts 50 years, you can add an additional $1 million per year (to simplify things) to the annual cost of the SPD.
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April 6th, 2011

Man Booked Into Jail After DUI Related Crash

A man who was apparently driving without a license was arrested for DUI following an accident that sent another man to the hospital.

John Doe, 31, was also cited by the Florida Highway Patrol for careless driving and for not having a license. He was not injured in the accident outside Chiefland around 6 p.m. Sunday.

Doe’s passenger was taken to Shands at the University of Florida with injuries that troopers described as non-life-threatening.

Troopers said Doe was headed north on U.S. 19 in a 1997 GMC pick up and was about three miles south of Chiefland when he drove off the pavement, overcorrected and lost control. The truck rolled and came to a stop on its right side, troopers said.

Doe and his passenger were both wearing their seatbelts.

Doe was booked into jail.

If you’ve been charged with DUI in Sarasota or elsewhere in Florida, it’s very important you promptly contact an attorney who can defend you. For a free consultation with a Sarasota DUI attorney at our firm, call 941-916-3627 now.

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April 3rd, 2011

Sarasota Police Say Fewer Arrests Mean Agency is Doing Its Job

In this investigation into the declining arrest numbers of the Sarasota Police Department, Chief Mikel Holloway said his force it outperforming other law agencies.

On many levels the cities of Sarasota and Bradenton are rivals. Similar in geographic size and population, the two vie to top each other. But for decades, Sarasota’s claim to the lowest crime rate was unchallenged. Until last year, when Bradenton Mayor Wayne Poston began bragging his crime rate – for the first time in memory – was lower than Sarasota’s.

An analysis by the City of Sarasota’s Finance Department backs Poston up. In an analysis for the city’s Police Review Panel, the department compared eleven Florida cities of comparable population of a variety of benchmarks, including the crime rate per 1,000 people. Using figures from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), it showed Bradenton’s crime rate at 52.7 and Sarasota’s at 77.0. In fact, Sarasota was the second highest of the cities surveyed, coming only below North Miami’s 77.8.

Part One of this series saw arrests and jail admissions fall in the City of Sarasota by sizeable fractions year over year. The SPD’s own figures detailed a 23.8 percent decline between 2009 and 2010 for total arrests. An analysis of jail admission figures by Sarasota Patch found a 26 percent decline in the same period.

“Yes, arrests are down,” said Police Chief Mikel Holloway. “But we don’t necessarily look at that as a bad thing. I would like to think we’re doing a fine job.”
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March 30th, 2011

Sarasota Mother Charged With DUI/2 Counts of Child Neglect

Sarasota Sheriff’s deputies arrested a 29-year-old woman they say was driving drunk with her 12-year-old daughter in her car.

She is also accused of leaving two other children home alone.

Investigators say they stopped Jane Doe’s speeding car at Worrington Street and Tamiami Trail around midnight. Doe reportedly told deputies her daughter was hit by a car last week and was taking her to the hospital.

Doe failed breathalyzer and field sobriety tests and said she had a shot of vodka earlier in the evening and had also taken her anti anxiety medication in the morning according to deputies.

Deputies talked with the child in the car, who told them her 3 and 6-year-old brothers were alone at home because they were sleeping when she and her mother headed to the hospital.

Doe is charged with one count of DUI and two counts of Child Neglect.

If you’ve also been charged with DUI in Sarasota, it’s important you quickly contact an attorney. If you’re interested in fighting the allegations against you, call 941-916-3627 to schedule your free consultation with a Sarasota DUI defense attorney at Musca Law.

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March 26th, 2011

DUI Checkpoint App Snuffed Out by Senators

Thousands of drivers abruptly lost their cell phone app used to sniff out speed traps and DUI checkpoints.

Four U.S. Senators called the software “harmful to public safety,” but the maker of the app insists what they’re doing is legal.

Every year more than 10,000 Americans die in a drunk driving crash. It’s the reason Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and three others are asking software vendors like Apple, Google and the maker of Blackberry to stop selling apps that tell drivers where law enforcement will be watching for impaired drivers.

At the center of the storm is the app “Phantom Alert”, which can be downloaded to a phone or GPS device.

The app’s maker Joe Scott is livid. He said at the senators’ request, Blackberry abruptly pulled their app Friday, leaving drivers who paid for the software without it. Scott insists their app is a legal, public service.

“It helps you avoid traffic tickets by helping you obey traffic laws,” he said. “Who can be against that?”
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March 23rd, 2011

Florida Man Sentenced to 15 Years for DUI Manslaughter

A Florida man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for a DUI crash that left two passengers dead.

A Leon County judge sentenced John Doe on Tuesday. He was convicted in January of two counts of DUI manslaughter. Doe will also serve five years of probation and permanently lose his driving privileges.

Authorities say Lacy Albert Murray III and Kelley Sue Fail were passengers in Doe’s truck when he crashed into a tree in January 2009. Murray and Fail both died from their injuries.

Toxicology reports showed Doe’s blood alcohol content was 0.171 percent. Florida law considers a driver impaired at 0.08.

If you’ve been charged with DUI manslaughter or other drunk driving crime in Sarasota, you should seek legal representation ASAP. For a free consultation with a Sarasota DUI attorney at our firm, call 941-916-3627 now. If anyone can help you avoid being convicted, it’s us.

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March 18th, 2011

Sarasota DUI Attorney on Chemical Test Refusal

When a driver refuses to take a breath, blood or urine test in regards to driving under the influence (DUI), there are administrative sanctions that will come up later. The driver’s license is typically suspended for up to one year on the first offense. DUI refusal has gained popularity because it makes the prosecutor’s case much harder to prove. The State must present more subjective proof of loss of faculties without the actual test results. This makes a Sarasota DUI charge dismissal more likely. With a strong Sarasota DUI attorney, the many other life-changing penalties of DUI refusal can be handled carefully and with the smallest consequences possible.

How Is a Sarasota DUI Refusal Used Against You?

In a Sarasota DUI case, the prosecution frequently suggests that the DUI refusal is a sign that you were well aware of your impairment. The State’s lawyer will attempt to use this as proof that you were not in control while driving. A good Sarasota DUI defense attorney can weaken this argument and you will have a solid chance to have your charges dismissed or reduced instead.

Sarasota DUI lawyers can often have your DUI refusal excluded from trial evidence on any number of grounds. There are 2 different types of refusal: expressed and implied. We can help, especially if it is an implied refusal. There are many different strong defenses for this charge. If you are being charged with either type of DUI refusal, contact the Sarasota DUI attorneys at Musca Law today.

Administrative Hearings Need Swift Attention

A skilled and experienced Sarasota DUI lawyer will pay strict and swift attention to the administrative side of your case. If you are a Sarasota driver accused of DUI refusal, you have 10 days after an arrest to request a formal review hearing. During this hearing you can contest the driver’s license suspension. If it does not result in your favor, the State can suspend your license for up to one year. During 3 of those months, you may not be allowed to drive at all, depending on the circumstances. The Sarasota DUI lawyers at Musca Law will attend your administrative hearing and work to have your DUI refusal set aside on any number of grounds. They may argue that you did not really refuse or perhaps you were confused by the double Miranda rights warning and notice of refusal. Protect your driving rights and avoid further problems on both the criminal and administrative sides of your case.

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March 16th, 2011

Sarasota Man Runs Out of Gas in I-75 Chase, Charged With DUI

A police chase along Interstate 75 ended when a 32-year-old man accused of drunken driving ran out of gas Friday.

John Doe of Sarasota was charged with Fleeing and Eluding, Resisting Arrest, and DUI.

Deputies say they spotted him driving recklessly on southbound I-75 just south of Pine Ridge Road around 8:30 p.m.

According to an incident report, he refused to pull over when a deputy activated his emergency lights and siren.

For the next 12 miles, two squad cars chased him as he continued to drive erratically, weaving in and out of the roadway and nearly sideswiping another vehicle before his car ran out of gas on Alligator Alley, according to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office.

He reportedly refused to exit the car, prompting them force him out.

He was arrested and taken to the Immokalee Jail Center for booking.

Reports also showed that his car was involved in a hit and run crash on the interstate.

If you’ve been charged with DUI in or near Sarasota, it’s essential for your future that you promptly contact an attorney to protect you. Although it may seem as if you’ll be convicted regardless, there are defenses that can be used in pursuit of getting your charges dropped or reduced. For a free consultation with a Sarasota DUI lawyer at Musca Law, call 941-916-3627 now.

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March 11th, 2011

Sarasota Commission Filling Police Review Panel

The City Commission will decide this afternoon who will head two citizen panels that will advise the Police Department and review how it handles complaints against officers.

At least four of the five commissioners must be in favor of each selection.

The following have applied to be chairperson of the Independent Police Advisory Board:

- William Fuller III

- Andrew Dorr

- Elmer Berkel

- Jerry Meketon

- Kelvin Lumpkin

- Gerald Elden

- Debra Anderson

- David Ferdinand

The advisory board will review crime data and broad issues, such as homelessness. It is not to interfere with daily operations.

The following have applied to be chairman of the Police Complaints Committee:

- William Fuller III

- Billy Phillips

- Michael Shelton

- Debra Anderson

- Ronald Riffel

- David Ferdinand

Applicants who are not chosen as chairpersons will be considered for four vacant seats on each of the respective panels in April. The new chairpersons and City Manager Bob Bartolotta will review their information and make recommendations to the commission.

Last summer, video showing an officer’s mistreatment of a Latino man under arrest sparked concerns about how city police treat minorities.

A citizens committee suggested the commission create the two panels to improve the department’s image and its relationships with the community.

The City Commission convenes at 2:30 p.m. at City Hall, 1565 First St.

Content brought to you by the Sarasota DUI lawyers at Musca Law. If you have been charged with DUI in Sarasota or a surrounding area and wish to fight the charge, call 941-916-3627 for a free and confidential consultation. We have over 100 years of collective experience defending people like you.

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