Florida Highway Patrol

A Florida Highway Patrol officer drives down a Florida highway on a motorcycle.

The Florida Highway Patrol operates throughout Florida, including all central Florida counties such as Orange, Seminole, Volusia, and Lake Counties.  Originally founded in 1939, the Florida Highway Patrol (“FHP”) patrols more than 43 million miles of Florida roadways annually, according to their website, and investigates 176,000 crashes yearly.  Many of those crashes involve drivers accused of driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.

FHP is currently led by Colonel Gary Howze, who has been with the FHP since 1987. He serves as a Commissioner of the Florida Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission and is the Chairman of the Joint Task Force on State Law Enforcement Communication.

According to the FHP website, they employ nearly 2,500 people, nearly 2,000 of whom are sworn law enforcement officers.  These law enforcement officers are divided into various units within the agency.

Florida Highway Patrol Specialized Units

  • Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit – focuses on educational programs to help improve the safety of commercial vehicles driven on Florida’s roadways.
  • The Criminal Interdiction Unit – Specially trained law enforcement officers whose job it is to help stop criminal activity throughout the state.
  • The Bureau of Criminal Investigations and Intelligence – focuses on problem areas including terrorism, gangs, infrastructure protection and organized crime among other specially focused areas.

 FHP Enforces DUI Laws Throughout Florida

You are most likely to encounter FHP Troopers who are part of the Patrol Operation department.  Patrol operations are exactly what it sounds like.  The Troopers that conduct Patrol Operations conduct patrols on Florida’s state roadways such as the turnpike.  They are responsible for enforcing the traffic laws, and investigating crashes in addition to other daily law enforcement activity.

The expert DUI defense lawyers at Katz & Phillips, P.A. are often contacted by people who have been arrested for DUI with the Florida Highway Patrol as the arresting agency.  The Florida Highway Patrol has substations throughout the state, but it typically brings the arrestee to the county breath test facility, where the stop is made.  Further, there is no FHP jail, so arrestees are brought to the county detention facility where the arrest is made.

Expert DUI Defense Attorneys for Florida Highway Patrol Cases in Orlando, Sanford, and throughout Central Florida

From our office located in downtown Orlando, we serve all central Florida counties, including Orange, Seminole, Volusia, Lake, Osceola, Polk, and the surrounding areas.  In fact, our expert DUI attorneys are often hired throughout the state by those seeking an expert to help them in their time of need.

In Florida, there are only 4 Board Certified DUI Defense Experts, and two of them are the founding partners at Katz & Phillips, P.A.  Our attorneys have extensive experience handling DUI cases and other criminal cases throughout the state, including those cases initiated by an arrest by the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP).  From DUI to racing, fleeing and eluding, drug charges or others, our attorneys can help you.

FHP cases also commonly involve civil forfeiture proceedings.  Whether it is the vehicle driven or cash found at the scene, the Florida Highway Patrol may institute a civil forfeiture proceeding.  Our experienced attorneys can help you receive your property back and defeat the forfeiture.  Call us today to discuss how we can help you.

In Central Florida, the FHP has several divisions, these are:

Troop D which is commanded by Major Mark Castleberry is responsible for patrolling in Volusia, Brevard, Lake, Seminole, Orange and Osceola Counties has three offices located at:

Orlando:

407-737-2300
11059 International Drive,
Orlando, FL 32824

 

Deland:

386-736-5350

1-800-226-5350 (Florida Only)

1551 E International Speedway Blvd.

Deland, FL 32724

 

Cocoa:

386-736-5350

3775 W King St.

Cocoa, FL 32926

 

Troop C which is commanded by Major Richard Benton and is responsible for patrolling in Sumter, Citrus, Hernando, Pasco, Hillsborough, Polk, and Pinellas Counties has three offices located at:

Tampa:

813-558-1800

11305 N McKinley Dr.

Tampa, FL 33612

 

Brooksville:

352-251-4020

11319 Ponce DeLeon Blvd.

Brooksville, FL 34601

 

Lakeland:

863-413-3510

3247 Lakeland Hills Blvd.

Lakeland, FL 33805

 

Land O’ Lakes:

352-251-4070

17008 Ayers Rd.

Brooksville, FL 34604

 

Pinellas Park:

727-217-8820

6855 62nd Ave. N

Pinellas Park, FL 33781

 

Troop K1 which is responsible for patrolling the Florida Turnpike

 

Troop K2 which is responsible for patrolling the Polk Parkway

 

Troop K3 which is responsible for patrolling the Suncoast Parkway.

 

All of Troop K is commanded by Major Roger Reyes.  Troop K has offices located in:

 

Orlando

407-532-6797

Turkey Lake Svc. Plz.

Law Enforcement Bldg. #5318

Ocoee, FL 34761

 

West Palm Beach

561-357-4299

West Palm Beach Svc. Plz. MM93

Law Enforcement Bldg. #9320

West Palm Beach, FL 33413

 

Miami

305-234-2240

Snapper Creek Svc. Plz.

Miami, FL 33175

 

For additional information about FHP please visit: https://www.flhsmv.gov/florida-highway-patrol/about-fhp/

Our Expert DUI Lawyers Can Help You With Your FHP Arrest

They have experts on their side; make sure you have experts by your side.  The Florida Highway Patrol and other law enforcement agencies throughout the state of Florida employ law enforcement officers who have specialized training and are recognized as Drug Enforcement Experts (DREs). See our article on Drug Recognition Experts for more information on these officers and the training they receive.  DREs are allowed by Florida law to testify to scientific aspects of Field Sobriety Exercises and of impairment that other officers cannot testify to.

Our expert DUI defense attorneys have taken the same courses taken by these law enforcement agents and are qualified to show the mistakes made in the field by the DREs employed by the state.  We may be able to keep vital evidence out of your trial or show a jury why the errors made in administering the tests given by the arresting officers are invalid and meaningless. Call the experienced DUI lawyers at Katz & Phillips, P.A. today to discuss your options.