duistatelaws.com Key takeaways
- The Eleventh Judicial Circuit lists DUI among the criminal traffic matters its County Court Criminal Division hears.
- County criminal judges sit at the Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building and at five branch locations: North Dade, South Dade, Miami Beach, Hialeah and Coral Gables.
- The State Attorney publishes DUI discovery online — breath logs and Intoxilyzer maintenance and repair records — at no charge.
- Other DUI discovery can be inspected on a walk-in basis on Thursdays and Fridays, 8am to 3pm.
- County Court is divided into eight divisions, and every case is assigned to a division judge.
- 10 days to request review of the suspension; the request does not stay it.
from the date you were served with the notice to demand a hearing from Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. The request goes to the department, not to the court, and no judge in Miami-Dade County will make it for you. Fla. Stat. § 322.2615(1)(b)3.
Florida calls the offense DUI, under section 316.193, and the penalty ladder is on the Florida DUI law page. This is the site’s first Florida city, and Miami-Dade’s court and prosecutor both publish a good deal about DUI cases.
The court says where the case goes and what kind of case it is. The State Attorney says who brings it, how many divisions it can land in, and puts the breath-testing records behind the case online.
The same diagram as a table
| Step | Criminal case — decided by a court | License case — decided by a state agency |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arrest and booking, hour 0 | Notice of suspension served, day 0 |
| 2 | Charge filed by the prosecutor | Deadline to demand a hearing: 7 to 30 days in the eight states on this site that use an agency hearing |
| 3 | First court setting, on a date the court picks | Hearing held if the request was filed — whether the suspension waits for the ruling is set by each state's statute |
| 4 | One or more pretrial settings | Suspension takes effect automatically with no hearing |
| 5 | Trial, plea or dismissal | — |
| Clock | Weeks to months. No filing deadline runs against the driver. | Counted in days from the notice, and fixed by statute. |
Where a Miami DUI is heard
The Eleventh Judicial Circuit describes its County Court Criminal Division as hearing minor criminal misdemeanor cases, criminal traffic matters, municipal and county ordinance violations and civil traffic infractions, and names DUI among the criminal traffic matters. Criminal traffic matters and minor misdemeanors, it says, are handled exclusively by judges and may be punishable by imprisonment in a county jail for less than one year. A felony DUI belongs to the Circuit Criminal Division, whose judges sit at the Gerstein Justice Building.
Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building
- Hears
- County Criminal and Circuit Criminal — misdemeanor and felony DUI, and first appearances
- Building
- Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building
- Address
- 1351 N.W. 12th Street, Miami, FL 33125
- Detail
- The court states that county criminal judges sit here and at five branch locations; the felony division’s judges sit here
- Hours
- Court hours 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday
- Why it matters
- Parking is limited street meters and off-street lots, the court says.
Coral Gables Branch Court
- Hears
- County Criminal
- Building
- Coral Gables Branch Court
- Address
- 3100 Ponce de Leon, Coral Gables, FL 33134
- Detail
- Listed by the court as a County Criminal location
- Hours
- Court hours 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday
North Dade Justice Center
- Hears
- County Criminal
- Building
- North Dade Justice Center
- Address
- 15555 Biscayne Blvd., Miami, FL 33160
- Detail
- Listed by the court as a County Criminal location
- Hours
- Court hours 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday
South Dade Justice Center
- Hears
- County Criminal
- Building
- South Dade Justice Center
- Address
- 10710 S.W. 211 Street, Miami, FL 33189
- Detail
- Listed by the court as a County Criminal location
- Hours
- Court hours 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday
Miami Beach Court Facility
- Hears
- County Criminal
- Building
- Miami Beach Court Facility
- Address
- 1130 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33139
- Detail
- Named by the court as one of the five county criminal branch locations
- Hours
- Court hours 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday
Hialeah Courthouse
- Hears
- County Criminal
- Building
- Hialeah Courthouse
- Address
- 11 East 6th Street, Hialeah, FL 33010
- Detail
- Listed by the court as a County Criminal location
- Hours
- Court hours 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday
Felony and misdemeanor first appearance hearings are held at the Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building. The court’s notice of August 2026 shows it: repairs there moved all of those hearings to the Miami-Dade Children’s Courthouse for one day.
The State Attorney’s County Court Division, at River Landing on NW North River Drive, states that it prosecutes misdemeanors including traffic criminal misdemeanors such as Driving Under the Influence, that County Court is divided into eight divisions, and that every case is assigned to a division judge. Its own branch list names the Gerstein building, the Caleb Center and Coral Gables, North Dade, the Miami Beach District Court, South Dade and Hialeah.
On juries the State Attorney’s County Court FAQs are specific. A defendant is not entitled to a jury where the office is not seeking an adjudicatory sentence or a jail sentence, or where exposure is less than six months. A defendant may ask to waive a jury, but the State must agree, and the judge must find the waiver understood and voluntary.
Getting into the building
The Eleventh Judicial Circuit states that every visitor is screened through a magnetometer, that pocket items, belts, shoes, phones and bags may go through the x-ray, and that anyone found with a prohibited item will be asked to leave and secure or dispose of it before entering. It warns that screening takes longer at peak hours.
Not sure which court your case is in?
Enter the ZIP code where the arrest happened and the full form opens with it filled in.
The first ten days: the suspension is already running
Florida works differently from most of the states on this site. The officer suspends the license at the roadside on the department’s behalf, and the suspension starts from the date the notice is issued. The notice also serves as a ten-day permit. Within those 10 days you can ask the department to review the suspension — and under section 322.2615(9) the request does not stay the suspension. The first 72 hours explainer sets Florida against the other five states.
None of that runs through the courthouses above. The review is the department’s, the request goes to the department, and the county court will not make it for you.
| What happened | First time | With a prior | Authority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Failed the test | 6 months | 1 year | Fla. Stat. § 322.2615(1)(b)1.b. |
| Refused the test | 1 year | 18 months | Fla. Stat. § 322.2615(1)(b)1.a. |
The breath-test records the State Attorney publishes
This is the part of a Miami DUI case that Miami-Dade puts in public view. The State Attorney’s office states that, under Rule 3.220(a)(1) of the Florida Rules of Criminal Procedure, the documents the State may introduce at hearing or trial, along with supplemental exculpatory evidence and impeachment materials, can be inspected or obtained on a walk-in basis on Thursdays and Fridays from 8am to 3pm at 1469 NW 13th Terrace, Miami.
It also publishes DUI discovery documents online at no charge:
- maintenance documents and Miami-Dade County secondary inspection sheets;
- breath logs for Miami-Dade County Intoxilyzer 5000 instruments;
- repair orders for Intoxilyzers;
- Intoxilyzer registration certificates and certificates of assurance.
For Intoxilyzer 8000 records the office points to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which it says keeps public electronic records including breath test permits, HGN logs, uniform guidelines for checkpoints and DRE logs, and which may hold records more recent than the State Attorney’s own pages. DUI room key logs, it says, may be available by public records request to the police agency or by subpoena.
The penalties themselves are statewide: see the Florida DUI law page for the ladder, including the 0.15 enhancement and the rule that a DUI cannot be resolved by withholding adjudication.
DUI cases across Miami-Dade
Every row below is the same county, the same judicial circuit and the same State Attorney.
| Situation | County | Where the case goes |
|---|---|---|
| A misdemeanor DUI anywhere in Miami-Dade County | Miami-Dade | County Criminal Division — Gerstein or one of five branch courts |
| A felony DUI anywhere in Miami-Dade County | Miami-Dade | Circuit Criminal Division, Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building |
| The first appearance after an arrest | Miami-Dade | Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building |
One county, one judicial circuit and one State Attorney for every row. What changes from Coral Gables to North Dade is the building, not the court or the prosecutor.
The court names five county criminal branch locations besides the Gerstein building: North Dade, South Dade, Miami Beach, Hialeah and Coral Gables. The branch for a given case is the one on the paperwork; this page does not assign neighborhoods to branches, because the court and State Attorney pages read for it do not.
Florida’s law behind all of it is on the Florida DUI law page.
Common questions about Miami DUI cases
Which court hears a DUI in Miami?
The County Court Criminal Division of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit, which lists DUI among the criminal traffic matters it hears. Its judges sit at the Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building, 1351 N.W. 12th Street, and at five branch locations: North Dade, South Dade, Miami Beach, Hialeah and Coral Gables. A felony DUI goes to the Circuit Criminal Division at the Gerstein building.
Who prosecutes a DUI in Miami-Dade?
The Miami-Dade State Attorney. Its County Court Division states that it prosecutes misdemeanors including traffic criminal misdemeanors such as Driving Under the Influence.
Can I see the breath-test records in a Miami DUI case?
The State Attorney publishes DUI discovery documents online at no charge, including breath logs for Miami-Dade Intoxilyzer 5000 instruments and repair and maintenance records, and offers walk-in inspection of discovery on Thursdays and Fridays, 8am to 3pm, at 1469 NW 13th Terrace.
How long do I have to ask for a review of the suspension?
Ten days. In Florida the suspension starts when the notice is issued, the notice serves as a ten-day permit, and under section 322.2615(9) asking for review does not stay the suspension.
Do I get a jury trial on a misdemeanor DUI in Miami-Dade?
The State Attorney's FAQs say a defendant is not entitled to a jury where the office is not seeking an adjudicatory sentence or jail, or where exposure is under six months. A jury can be waived only if the State agrees and the judge finds the waiver voluntary.
What happens at courthouse security in Miami-Dade?
Visitors pass through a magnetometer, items go through an x-ray, and anyone carrying a prohibited item is asked to leave and secure or dispose of it before entering. The court warns that screening takes longer at peak hours.
Request a review of your Miami-Dade case
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Submitting this request does not create an attorney–client relationship.
More for Florida
- Florida DUI law — the full penalty matrix, the statutes, and the rules on priors and interlock
- Fort Lauderdale and Broward County — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- St. Petersburg and Pinellas County — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- Lakeland and Polk County — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- Orange County — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- Panama City and Bay County — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- Naples and Collier County — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- St. Augustine and St. Johns County — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- Key West and Monroe County — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- Sarasota — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- Tampa and Hillsborough County — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- Port St. Lucie and St. Lucie County — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- Refusing a breathalyzer — what implied consent costs here against what it buys
- How long it stays on your record — three records, three clocks
- SR-22 insurance after a Florida suspension — what the filing certifies and how long it runs
- Ignition interlock providers and costs in Florida — what the device costs and who installs it
Sources
- Eleventh Judicial Circuit, Criminal division — read September 23, 2026
- Eleventh Judicial Circuit, Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building — read September 23, 2026
- Eleventh Judicial Circuit, Coral Gables Branch Court — read September 23, 2026
- Eleventh Judicial Circuit, North Dade Justice Center — read September 23, 2026
- Eleventh Judicial Circuit, South Dade Justice Center — read September 23, 2026
- Eleventh Judicial Circuit, Miami Beach Court Facility — read September 23, 2026
- Eleventh Judicial Circuit, Hialeah Courthouse — read September 23, 2026
- Eleventh Judicial Circuit, first appearance hearings notice (August 2026) — read September 23, 2026
- Eleventh Judicial Circuit, courthouse security procedures — read September 23, 2026
- Miami-Dade State Attorney, County Court Division — read September 23, 2026
- Miami-Dade State Attorney, County Court FAQs — read September 23, 2026
- Miami-Dade State Attorney, DUI discovery procedures and documents — read September 23, 2026
- Fla. Stat. § 316.193(1)(b)–(c) and the rest of the Florida statutes cited on this page — read in force 2026
Court addresses, hours and phone numbers were read from each court’s or office’s own published page on September 23, 2026. Those change without notice; confirm before you rely on them. No judge is named anywhere on this page, because a roster is exactly the kind of detail that goes stale silently.