Florida DUI and arrest guide: what happens at intake, and what to keep to yourself

Why a short request is the right kind of request

An intake request is administrative. It is not a statement, a plea, a confession, or a legal filing, and nobody at AnswerSignalApp forms an opinion about what happened. Because of that, the request only needs enough to route it: where the matter is, what general kind of matter it is, where things stand right now, and how to reach you. A detailed account of the stop, the arrest, or the night in question does not make review better — it just puts sensitive detail in a form that is not a confidential legal consultation.

The fields that do the work

• Florida county connected to the matter. Criminal matters are handled county by county, and participating lawyers cover different areas, so this is the most important field on the form.
• General matter type. "DUI", "felony", "misdemeanor", "drug charge", "probation", or "investigation" is enough. No statute number, degree, or charge classification needed.
• Current status. Arrested or booked, citation or notice to appear, under investigation with no arrest, a warrant or possible warrant, or not sure.
• Custody status. Currently in custody, released or bonded out, not detained, or not sure.
• Whether paperwork exists. Many people leave with a document listing a date or a location. Saying "I have paperwork with a date on it" is enough — do not upload it.
• Whether you already have a lawyer, including an appointed lawyer.
• Contact preference — phone or email, and times that are realistic and safe for you.

Timing context is operational, not legal

If a date is coming up soon, or someone is in custody right now, we note that so requests are handled in a sensible internal order. We do not calculate legal deadlines, tell you what a date means, or advise you on timing. Anything time-sensitive belongs with a lawyer, not with an intake service.

DUI, arrest, investigation, and probation are different intake paths

They route differently, so pick the closest description rather than the most serious-sounding one. A traffic stop that ended in a DUI arrest, a pre-charge investigation where nobody has been arrested, and an alleged probation violation are three separate intake categories. The matching situation pages are DUI, investigation and pre-charge, probation violation, felony, misdemeanor, drug charge, theft or property, and domestic or violent allegation defense.

If someone is in custody

A family member or friend can submit the request with their own contact details. Include the Florida county and the fact that the person is in custody. We cannot contact a facility, arrange a visit, post bond, or pass a message. What we can do is review the request for possible connection to a participating Florida attorney who may then decide whether to make contact.

Never put these in an intake form

Leave out Social Security and driver's license numbers, booking or case numbers if you would rather not share them, insurance and financial account numbers, passwords, medical record numbers, photos of identity documents or paperwork, and any detailed written admission about what you did or did not do.

What AnswerSignalApp does not do

• We do not assess guilt or innocence, evaluate evidence, identify defenses, describe penalties, or predict outcomes.
• We do not provide legal advice, appear in court, or contact prosecutors, law enforcement, or a jail.
• We do not post bond or arrange release.
• We do not promise contact from a lawyer, and no attorney-client relationship arises from submitting a request.
• We claim no Florida Bar endorsement, and we publish no results, testimonials, rankings, or awards.

After you submit

You will see a confirmation that the request was received, then it goes through intake review and compliance and eligibility review. Some requests are not connected — an incomplete request, a county or matter type no participating lawyer currently covers, or a matter that is already represented. You are never obligated to speak with anyone who contacts you, and you can ask us to stop pursuing your request at any time. The full factor list is on how intake works.