No Driver’s License? No Felony, Florida Court Rules

Florida Supreme Court Building. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — You can face felony charges in Florida for repeatedly driving with a revoked license — but if you don’t bother getting a driver’s license at all, apparently those charges don’t apply.
The Florida Supreme Court ruled Thursday that drivers can’t face increased penalties for habitually violating traffic laws if they never obtained a license to begin with, an argument state lawyers said makes no sense.
Daryl Miller faced up to five years in prison under a law that makes it a third-degree felony for being caught three or more times driving a motor vehicle with a suspended or revoked license. But Miller never obtained a license and the Supreme Court noted the law doesn’t address that scenario.
It said Miller could only be charged a second-degree misdemeanor for each infraction.
Get The 90.7 WMFE Newsletter
Your trusted news source for the latest Central Florida news, updates on special programs and more.
GET THE LATEST

WMFE Journalistic Ethics Code | Public Media Code of Integrity