What happens after your motor vehicle is impounded by an officer with the St. Petersburg Police Department pursuant to Section of the St. Petersburg City Code? Section prohibits a person from using a motor vehicle to facilitate the commission of any of the following offenses:.
For most claimants, requesting the hearing to contest the administrative penalty only makes sense. Your attorney will win the hearing if the attorney for the City of St. Petersburg does not meet their burden of proof when showing that the vehicle was used in violation of Section b or because the final hearing was not scheduled within five 5 days of the demand or held within 30 days of the date the vehicle was impounded through no fault of the vehicle owner.
If you win the hearing, the hearing master will order that the vehicle be immediately released to the owner as soon as possible without imposing penalties, fees, or towing and storage charges. Any cash bond posted, if any, shall also be returned. That testimony and cross-examination are electronically recorded. At the end of the hearing, your attorney will get a copy of the record that can be typed into a transcription.
Your attorney can use that transcript in your criminal case to fight the charges during a motion to dismiss the case or at trial. Sometimes cases are won or lost based on what happens during the administrative hearing. Keep in mind that if you lose the hearing, you can appeal a ruling or order of the hearing master by proceeding in the circuit court in Pinellas County, FL, under Rule 9. The nature of the appeal shall be from a final administrative order. If your vehicle was impounded by the City of St.
Petersburg Police Department under City Ordinance Section , then contact an experienced attorney at Sammis Law Firm to demand the return of your vehicle or the money you paid. We help clients fight charges for DUI, possession of marijuana, prostitution, or any sex-related offense by officers with the St.
