Polk County, Florida Criminal Defense, Serious Felony & DUI Attorney

The Law Offices of Whittel & Melton handles all types of criminal matters in Polk County, Florida including all State Felony, Juvenile, Misdemeanor, DUI, DWLS and Traffic Tickets.

If you have been arrested or ticketed in Polk County, Florida, you need a lawyer, DO NOT DELAY, call the Law Offices of Whittel & Melton now at 1-866-608-5LAW (5529).

Criminal Cases are prosecuted in the criminal courthouse in Bartow, Florida.  The Law Offices of Whittel & Melton is ready to defend any Polk County criminal or criminal traffic charges including:
DUI; DUI Serious Bodily Injury; DUI Manslaughter; Homicide and Murder; Possession of Cocaine, Methamphetamines, Marijuana; Drug Trafficking and Distribution; Grow House and Cultivation; Assault and Battery Felony or Misdemeanor; Sex Crimes; Sexual Battery; Lewd and Lascivious; Rape; Sex Offender Failure to Register; Firearms and Weapons Charges; Domestic Violence; Grand Theft; Burglary and Robbery; Domestic Violence; Leaving the Scene of an Accident; Reckless Driving; Racing on the Highway; Driving on Suspended License and Habitual Traffic Offender Status.


Arrests are usually made by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office – which is led by Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd.  If you have been arrested in Polk County, Florida and would like to review your arrest records, most Sheriff Offices will provide you with this information.  The Polk County Sheriff’s Office is located at 455 North Broadway Avenue, Bartow, Florida 33830-3398. Prosecution of criminal cases in Polk County is handled by the State Attorney for Florida's 10th Judicial Circuit.  Polk County Clerk Richard Weiss handles filing for Polk County in the 10th Circuit.  His office is at 255 North Broadway Avenue, Bartow, FL 33830.

The population in Polk County is most likely somewhere near 560,000.  Like most Florida Counties, Polk County is run by a County Commission.  As of 2008, the County commissioners were Bob English, Randy Wilkinson, Jack Myers, Jean Reed and Sam Johnson. 

Bartow, the county seat and home to the criminal courthouse, was originally known as Fort Blount.  It was renamed Bartow in honor of a Confederate soldier.  Francis S. Bartow was not from Florida, but actually a confederate Colonel from Georgia, and the first Confederate officer to die during the first battle of the Civil War. 

In February of 1861, Polk County became the 39th county of Florida when Hillsborough County was divided into an East and West half. The state of Florida now has 67 counties.  The eastern half of Hillsborough County was named in honor of our 11th President of the United States, James Knox Polk.  Interestingly, Polk was sworn in as President on the day after Florida’s statehood, which was March 3, 1845. 

The Law Offices of Whittel & Melton handles all Arrests and Tickets served in Polk County include those from the city of Auburndale, FL, Bartow, FL, Davenport, FL, Dundee, FL, Eagle Lake, FL, Fedhaven, FL, Fort Meade, FL, Frostproof, FL, Haines City, FL, Highland Park, FL, Hillcrest, FL, Heights, FL, Indian Lake Estates, FL, Lake Alfred, FL, Lake Hamilton, FL, Lake Wales, FL, Lakeland, FL, Mulberry, FL, Nalcrest, FL, Polk City, FL, Providence, FL and Winter Haven, FL.

Polk County, Florida Traffic Point Suspension Consequences
Twelve (12) Points in Twelve (12) Months – thirty (30) days
Eighteen (18) Points in Eighteen (18) Months – three (3) months
Twenty-Four (24) Points in Thirty-Six Months – one (1) year


Polk County, Florida Traffic Point Consequences of a Conviction in Polk County Traffic Court
Leaving the Scene of an Accident with property damage of fifty dollars or more – six (6) points
Unlawful Speed with accident – six (6) points
Reckless Driving – four (4) points
A moving violation with accident – four (4) points
Passing a school bus parked – four (4) points
Driving during restricted hours – three (3) points
Speeding – 16 miles per hour or more over speed limit – four (4) points
Speeding – 15 miles per hour or less over speed limit – three (3) points
Most other moving violations – three (3) points
Improper equipment – zero (0) points
Open Container – three (3) points

Polk County is a jurisdiction handled by the State Attorney for Florida's 10th Judicial Circuit out of Bartow, FL.

If you or a loved one has been charged with a crime, DUI or a traffic ticket in Polk County, Florida contact the Law Offices of Whittel & Melton at 1-866-608-5LAW (5529).