A DUI arrest in Tampa starts two cases at once: a criminal charge in the Hillsborough County courts and an administrative suspension of your driver’s license that begins the day you are arrested. Between the short deadline to challenge that suspension and penalties that climb quickly with each prior offense, the lawyer you choose matters from the first day. Below is a look at ten Tampa DUI defense lawyers and firms, many of whom prosecuted or defended cases in this same circuit before focusing on DUI defense, along with what is publicly documented about each. This guide to the Best DUI Defense Lawyers in Tampa, FL features local attorneys and firms to help readers explore their options.
1. Amarosa Law Firm P.A.
- Attorney: James R. Amarosa II
- In Practice: Admitted to The Florida Bar in 2007
- Headquarters: 3825 Henderson Blvd., Suite 207, Tampa, FL 33629
- Phone: (813) 251-0700
- Website: amarosalaw.com
- Practice Areas: Criminal Defense, DUI, Underage DUI, Multiple DUI, Murder, Homicide, Manslaughter, Solicitation, Child Pornography, Gun Crime, Stand Your Ground Defense, Drug Crime, Drug Trafficking, Arson, Assault, Battery, Sex Crime, Sexual Assault, Statutory Rape, Violent Crime, Robbery, Lewd and Lascivious Conduct, Sexual Battery, Domestic Violence, White Collar Crime, Embezzlement, Fraud, Healthcare Fraud, Tax Fraud, Financial Crime, Human Trafficking, Theft, Burglary, College and Student Crime, Probation Violation, Juvenile Criminal Defense
- Experience: Admitted to The Florida Bar in 2007; former Certified Legal Intern, Hillsborough County Public Defender’s Office; past President, Hillsborough County Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (2010 to 2012)
- Recognition: Barry Cohen Award for Excellence in Criminal Defense, HCACDL (2024); Florida Supreme Court Certified Mediator
- Firm Size: Solo practitioner
- Practice Area: DUI Lawyer
- Google Rating: 4.6 ★ (56 reviews)
- Google Profile: View on Google
- Social Profiles: Facebook | LinkedIn | X (Twitter)
About the Firm: Jim Amarosa began his career as a Certified Legal Intern with the Hillsborough County Public Defender’s Office and has practiced in Florida state criminal courts and the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida since his 2007 bar admission. His DUI practice covers first offenses, underage DUI, and repeat DUI charges, with a focus on whether the stop, the arrest, and the chemical testing followed the rules officers are required to follow.
He served as president of the Hillsborough County Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers from 2010 to 2012 and received its Barry Cohen Award for Excellence in Criminal Defense in December 2024. His attorney profile also notes a background teaching crime scene investigation and forensic evidence, which carries over to cases that turn on blood or breath results, and the firm handles injury claims that can arise alongside a DUI crash. Readers comparing the Best DUI Defense Lawyers in Tampa, FL can consider the firm’s documented experience when researching legal representation.
2. Parks & Braxton, PA
- Attorneys: Michael Braxton & Andrew Parks
- Headquarters: 602 S. Boulevard, Suite A, Tampa, FL 33606 (additional offices elsewhere in Florida)
- Phone: (813) 708-5388
- Website: tampaduidefenders.com
- Practice Areas: DUI Defense, DMV Hearings, Breath Test Refusal, CDL DUI, Underage DUI, DUI Manslaughter
About the Firm: Parks & Braxton describes itself as a firm built around DUI defense, with more than 60 years of combined experience among its attorneys and a background that includes prosecution work. Its Tampa practice pages cover nearly every DUI scenario, from first offenses and checkpoint arrests to CDL cases, out-of-state drivers, and DUI with injury or death, along with the separate DMV hearing. The firm answers calls around the clock and offers Spanish-language services.
3. Hersem Law
- Attorney: Christopher T. Hersem
- Headquarters: 1550 W. Cleveland St., Suite 9, Tampa, FL 33606 (second office in Clearwater)
- Phone: (813) 251-7291
- Website: hersemlaw.com
- Practice Areas: DUI Defense, Criminal Traffic Offenses, Drug Crimes, Marijuana Charges, Warrants, Expungement
About the Firm: Chris Hersem is a University of Florida and Stetson University College of Law graduate who completed his law degree with a concentration in advocacy and worked as an assistant public defender before opening his own practice. According to his attorney profile, Tampa Magazine named him “Best DUI Attorney in Tampa Bay” in 2016, 2018, and 2019. The firm pairs DUI defense with criminal traffic and drug work, which is useful when a DUI arrest comes with related charges such as a suspended license, and it offers free strategy sessions from offices in South Tampa and Clearwater.
4. Brett Metcalf, Criminal Defense Attorneys, P.A.
- Attorney: Brett Metcalf
- Founded: 2012
- Headquarters: 2011 W. Cleveland St., Suite A-1, Tampa, FL 33606
- Phone: (813) 820-6706
- Website: hillsboroughdefense.com
- Practice Areas: DUI Defense, Felony DUI, Underage DUI, CDL DUI, Boating Under the Influence, Criminal Defense
About the Firm: A Tampa native and 2009 Florida State University College of Law graduate, Brett Metcalf began his career as a prosecutor with the State Attorney’s Office in Tampa, where the firm says he tried more than 100 cases to verdict, before opening his practice in July 2012. He is a general member of the National College for DUI Defense. His firm’s DUI pages walk through each offense level, from a first DUI to felony DUI, along with administrative license suspensions and CDL consequences.
5. Brian Palacios Law
- Attorney: Brian Palacios
- Headquarters: 3502 Henderson Blvd., Suite 210, Tampa, FL 33609
- Phone: (813) 461-3457
- Website: brianpalacioslaw.com
- Practice Areas: DUI Defense, Felony DUI, DMV Hearings, CDL DUI, Underage and College DUI, Criminal Defense, Auto Accidents
- Firm Size: Solo practitioner
About the Firm: Brian Palacios is a former prosecutor with the State Attorney’s Office for Florida’s Thirteenth Judicial Circuit, where he served as a lead trial attorney, and he now has more than 15 years of experience in criminal law. He earned his law degree from Nova Southeastern University’s Shepard Broad Law Center in 2009. His practice is heavily weighted toward DUI cases, including high-BAC, drug-impaired, out-of-state, and boating cases, and he personally handles each matter rather than passing clients to associates.
6. The Hardy Law Firm, P.A.
- Attorney: David C. Hardy
- Founded: 2010
- Headquarters: 1710 N. 19th Street, Suite 215, Tampa, FL 33605 (Ybor City)
- Phone: (813) 734-7190
- Website: thehardylawfirm.com
- Practice Areas: Florida DUI Defense, Florida Criminal Defense, Federal Criminal Defense
About the Firm: David Hardy spent more than five years as a Hillsborough County prosecutor, handling DUI cases among many others, before opening his firm in 2010. He is board certified in criminal trial law by The Florida Bar (2010) and the National Board of Trial Advocacy (2014), and his DUI pages cover breath, blood, and urine testing, test refusals, and reductions to reckless driving. He speaks Spanish fluently and works directly with Spanish-speaking clients.
7. Sammis Law Firm, P.A.
- Attorneys: Leslie M. Sammis & Jason D. Sammis
- Headquarters: 1005 N. Marion St., Tampa, FL 33602 (additional offices in Clearwater, New Port Richey, and Winter Park)
- Phone: (813) 250-0500
- Website: criminaldefenseattorneytampa.com
- Practice Areas: DUI Defense, Asset Forfeiture, Drug Crimes, White Collar Crime, Criminal Defense
About the Firm: Sammis Law Firm is a six-attorney criminal defense practice based a few blocks from the downtown Tampa courthouse. Leslie Sammis has devoted her career to DUI defense and asset forfeiture and is a member of the National College for DUI Defense and the DUI Defense Lawyers Association. The firm’s DUI work covers chemical testing challenges, administrative suspensions, and DUI cases involving serious injury, and it also represents professionals whose licenses may be affected by an arrest.
8. Daniel J. Fernandez, P.A.
- Attorney: Daniel J. Fernandez
- In Practice: 43 years
- Headquarters: 625 E. Twiggs St., Suite 102, Tampa, FL 33602
- Phone: (813) 229-5353
- Website: djfernandezlaw.com
- Practice Areas: DUI Defense, Felony DUI, DUI Manslaughter, Boating Under the Influence, Criminal Defense, Federal Charges
About the Firm: Daniel J. Fernandez began his career as a state prosecutor and has practiced criminal law in Tampa for 43 years, during which the firm says he has tried more than 500 cases to verdict. His DUI practice includes standard first offenses, felony DUI, DUI manslaughter, and boating cases, and the firm files the 10-day license review request as part of its intake. A five-attorney team supports the practice, and the firm offers bilingual representation in English and Spanish around the clock.
9. Hunt Law
- Attorney: J. Ruffin Hunt
- Headquarters: 625 E. Twiggs St., Suite 210, Tampa, FL 33602
- Phone: (813) 787-4849
- Website: tampabaycriminaljustice.com
- Practice Areas: DUI Defense, Refusal to Submit to Testing, Criminal Traffic Offenses, Drug Crimes, Domestic Violence
About the Firm: Ruffin Hunt is a Tampa native and graduate of the University of Florida and Stetson University College of Law who rose to Division Chief at the Hillsborough County Public Defender’s Office before founding his own firm. His practice is limited to criminal defense, and his published case results include a not-guilty jury verdict in a Hillsborough County DUI case involving a breath-test refusal. He is a former board member of the Hillsborough County Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
10. Brancato Law Firm, P.A.
- Attorney: Rocky Brancato
- Founded: January 2025
- Headquarters: 620 E. Twiggs St., Suite 205, Tampa, FL 33602
- Phone: (813) 727-7159
- Website: brancatolawfirm.com
- Practice Areas: DUI Defense, Criminal Defense, Sex Crimes, Homicide, Drug Crimes
About the Firm: Rocky Brancato spent more than two decades with the Hillsborough County Public Defender’s Office, ultimately serving as chief assistant public defender and chief operations officer, before opening his firm in January 2025. His firm lists memberships in the National College for DUI Defense and the DUI Defense Lawyers Association, and it emphasizes the use of forensic experts when testing or evidence is in question. The firm’s website is offered in English, Spanish, Haitian Creole, and French.
Understanding the DUI Court Process in Hillsborough County
Under section 316.193 of the Florida Statutes, a person commits DUI by driving or being in actual physical control of a vehicle while impaired by alcohol or drugs, or with a blood or breath alcohol level of 0.08 or higher.
Most first and second DUI cases are misdemeanors heard in Hillsborough County Court, while felony DUI cases, including a third DUI within 10 years, a fourth DUI, or a DUI causing serious bodily injury, are heard in circuit court in the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit at the George E. Edgecomb Courthouse, 800 E. Twiggs Street, Tampa.
Separately, section 322.2615 allows the arresting officer to take your license and issue a 10-day temporary permit, and you have 10 days from the notice of suspension to request a formal or informal review.
Without a successful review, a first suspension lasts six months for an unlawful alcohol level or one year for a first test refusal. Because the criminal case and the license case run on different tracks and deadlines, early representation matters in every DUI arrest. The Best DUI Defense Lawyers in Tampa, FL guide can help readers research attorneys who handle these matters.
About This List
The attorneys listed here represent a curated selection of DUI defense practices serving Tampa and Hillsborough County. Amarosa Law Firm P.A. appears first as the featured firm, and the order of this list is editorial rather than a ranking of legal skill or case outcomes. Office locations, phone numbers, and background information are based on publicly available data verified in October 2026, including each firm’s own website and Google Business Profile. Google ratings and review counts reflect a point-in-time snapshot and will change over time. Inclusion on this list does not constitute an endorsement or ranking of legal quality. If you are facing a DUI charge, verify current licensing through The Florida Bar and schedule consultations to find the right fit for your situation. This article is for general informational purposes and is not legal advice. Use the Best DUI Defense Lawyers in Tampa, FL guide as a starting point for comparing local legal options.
FAQs
Who is the best DUI defense lawyer in Tampa, FL?
There is no single “best” DUI lawyer for every case. The right choice depends on whether this is a first or repeat offense, whether the case involves a crash or test refusal, and how involved you want your lawyer to be. Use the list above to compare backgrounds (several are former prosecutors or public defenders) and Google reviews, then schedule consultations with a few before deciding.
How much does a DUI lawyer cost in Tampa?
Fees depend on whether the case is a first offense or a repeat or felony DUI, how much evidence needs to be reviewed, and whether the case is likely to go to trial. A standard first-offense misdemeanor typically costs less to defend than a felony DUI. Many Tampa DUI lawyers offer a free initial consultation and can quote a flat fee or explain their billing once they know the facts.
What are the penalties for a first DUI in Florida?
Under section 316.193, a first DUI conviction carries a fine of $500 to $1,000 and up to six months in jail. If your blood or breath alcohol level was 0.15 or higher, or a minor was in the vehicle, the fine rises to $1,000 to $2,000 and the maximum jail term to nine months. Probation, community service, a DUI program, vehicle impoundment, and a separate license revocation can also apply, so the actual outcome depends heavily on the facts and how the case is handled.
What is the 10-day rule after a DUI arrest in Florida?
Under section 322.2615, you have 10 days from the date the notice of suspension is issued to request a formal or informal review of your administrative license suspension with the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. If you miss that deadline, the suspension stands. A lawyer can file the request and, at a formal review, may subpoena the arresting officer. For more on the overall process, see this Tampa DUI defense overview.
Can I keep driving after a DUI arrest in Tampa?
For a short time, if you are otherwise eligible. The officer issues a 10-day temporary permit at the time of the suspension. After that, you may be able to apply for a business or employment purposes only license: generally after 30 days for an unlawful alcohol level suspension, or after 90 days for a refusal suspension, under section 322.2615. Eligibility rules are strict, so ask your attorney about options early. The Best DUI Defense Lawyers in Tampa, FL guide may help you identify local attorneys to consult about your circumstances.
