DUI and criminal cases in Pompano Beach: police, court and local facts

A Pompano Beach case is a Broward case, with Broward's jail, judges and prosecutors, but a few details are specific to this city: who the police are, which courthouse hears which kind of case, and the beach and park rules that lead to a surprising number of citations. What follows comes from the city, the Sheriff, the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit, the Clerk and FLHSMV. Mr. Mead's approach to impaired driving charges is on our DUI defense page.

How does a Pompano Beach case move, step by step?

1. The stop. Deputies from BSO's Pompano Beach district make the arrest or write the citation.
2. Booking in Fort Lauderdale. The Sheriff's Central Intake Bureau in the Main Jail books arrests for every Broward agency.
3. First appearance downtown. A person who is not released sees a judge at the courthouse at 201 SE 6th Street.
4. The license. After a DUI arrest, the driver has 10 days to ask FLHSMV for a review of the suspension.
5. The court date. A misdemeanor or DUI case is filed at the Central Courthouse; a civil ticket written by a deputy is heard at North Regional.
6. Programs or defense. Broward's diversion programs, motions, a plea or a trial.

Who polices Pompano Beach?

The city says that since August 1, 1999 it has contracted with BSO to provide police services, and that it is the largest city in Broward County to use the Sheriff's Office for law enforcement. The city describes a full-time population of 110,473, rising above 125,000 in the winter months. Its directory lists Police / BSO at 100 SW 3rd Street, Pompano Beach, FL 33060, and its police services page gives the county dispatch non-emergency number, (954) 764-HELP (4357), and office hours of Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

According to the city, the district covers about 22 square miles, bounded by Sample Road and NE 54 Street on the north, S.E. 15 Street and McNab Road on the south, the Atlantic Ocean on the east and Florida's Turnpike on the west. The city puts the district's annual operating budget at about $55 million, for 282 positions: a district major, three captains, six lieutenants, 24 sergeants, 217 deputies and 32 civilian employees. Reports written by these deputies are BSO records, and the city points residents to the Sheriff's online public records portal to request them. Getting the report and any video early is covered in our page on getting the police report and video in a DUI case.

Which courthouse hears a Pompano Beach case?

This is where Pompano differs from its neighbors. In Broward, the circuit assigns cases to a courthouse by the agency that started them, and its orders treat BSO District 11 (Pompano Beach) differently depending on the kind of case:

The practical result is that a Pompano Beach driver can have a civil speeding ticket heard in Deerfield Beach and a DUI from the same night heard in Fort Lauderdale. The Central Courthouse, its first appearance court and the Main Jail are described on our page about the Broward Central Courthouse and Main Jail. The building on Hillsboro Boulevard is described in our page on the North Regional Courthouse. Lighthouse Point police cases are assigned the same way under both orders: misdemeanors to the Central Courthouse, officer-written traffic tickets to North Regional.

Where would someone be held after a Pompano Beach arrest?

Booking is always downtown. The Sheriff describes the Main Jail at 555 SE 1st Ave. as an eight-story maximum security facility next to the courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, holding the Central Intake Bureau, which books for all Broward law enforcement agencies. After that, though, a person who stays in custody may well come back to Pompano Beach. BSO lists three of its detention facilities at Pompano Beach addresses:

• The Joseph V. Conte Facility, 1351 NW 27th Ave.
• The North Broward Bureau, 1550 Blount Rd.
• The Paul Rein Detention Facility, 2421 NW 16th Street.

BSO says people who are not released on bond are assigned to one of its jails using objective criteria about the level of security required, not how close the jail is to home. Bond and release are explained in how bond works in Florida. The rules for the first hearing are in what happens in the first 48 hours after an arrest.

Which Pompano Beach rules lead to tickets or charges?

The city's official beach safety rules list prohibited acts on the beach that include alcohol and glass, along with amplified music, generators, spearfishing and swimming past the high tide watermark. Its park rules list no alcoholic beverages and no glass containers in city parks. Both sheets say the listed acts are unlawful under Chapter 98.02, Prohibited Acts, of the city code, and the city posts them in English, Spanish, Haitian Creole and Portuguese. The city says the public beach is open 365 days a year, with guarded swimming areas from 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., and that the Fisher Family Pier is open daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

A city ordinance violation is a court case, not a parking ticket. The Clerk says municipal and county ordinance violations require a court appearance, and AO 2021-30-CO sends Pompano's to the Central Courthouse. A drinking charge involving someone under 21 is a different matter, covered in our page on underage drinking and fake IDs in Florida.

What should I know about a Pompano Beach DUI arrest?

The license side has local addresses. FLHSMV lists a state driver license office at Pompano Citi Centre, 1955 Federal Hwy., Unit J209, (954) 497-1570, open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Wednesday from 8:30 a.m., and it lists reinstatements among driver license services. FLHSMV's list of licensed DUI programs includes the Boca Bay DUI Program at 1955 North Federal Highway, Unit 217, in the same address range. The list is FLHSMV's, not a recommendation; the full list for both counties is on our page about DUI school in Palm Beach and Broward. License reviews themselves go to FLHSMV's Bureau of Administrative Reviews in Lauderdale Lakes, and section 322.2615(1)(b)3., Florida Statutes, gives the driver 10 days from the notice of suspension to ask for one, as explained in the 10-day rule after a DUI arrest.

Because the city is in Broward, Palm Beach County's first-time DUI offer does not apply, and Broward's felony pretrial intervention program excludes DUI. The Broward options are compared in our page on pretrial diversion in Palm Beach and Broward. The rest of the process follows state law, step by step, as set out in what happens after a DUI arrest in Florida.

What changes the answer?

• The kind of case. Under AO 2021-30-CO and AO 2026-07-CO, BSO District 11 misdemeanors and DUI cases go to the Central Courthouse while officer-written traffic infractions go to North Regional.
• Misdemeanor or felony. County court hears misdemeanors (s. 34.01(1)(a)); felonies are circuit court cases (s. 26.012(2)(d)).
• The agency. A Florida Highway Patrol or Lighthouse Point police case is assigned by that agency's line in the orders, not BSO District 11's.
• Camera or officer. New camera tickets are heard at the Central Courthouse under AO 2026-07-CO.
• Beach or road. Alcohol on the beach is a city violation under Chapter 98.02; impaired driving is a state crime under s. 316.193.

A worked example

For example, picture a hypothetical driver stopped on Atlantic Boulevard by a BSO deputy one night, cited for speeding and then arrested for a first DUI. The driver is booked at Central Intake in Fort Lauderdale and released on bond. Within 10 days, the driver asks FLHSMV's Lauderdale Lakes office for a review of the suspension. Two court dates follow in two buildings: the speeding ticket, if the driver chooses a hearing, is heard at the North Regional Courthouse, while the DUI is filed at the Central Courthouse. If DUI school is later required, the driver may use a program on FLHSMV's list, one of which is on North Federal Highway in Pompano Beach. This is a hypothetical walk-through, not a prediction.

Common mistakes people make

• Going to Deerfield Beach for a Pompano misdemeanor or DUI date that belongs downtown.
• Looking for a Pompano Beach police department; policing is by BSO under the city's contract.
• Assuming a person held after arrest will stay in Fort Lauderdale; BSO may assign them to a Pompano Beach jail.
• Bringing alcohol or glass to the beach or a city park.
• Treating an ordinance citation like a parking ticket and skipping court.

What to do this week

1. Look up the person's location and bond through BSO, starting with the Main Jail.
2. For a DUI, count 10 days from the notice of suspension.
3. Read each notice for the building: Central Courthouse or North Regional.
4. Gather the citation, bond receipt and any tow slip.
5. Talk with a lawyer before the first court date.

Questions people ask after a Pompano Beach arrest

License and DUI

• The hearing is explained in contesting a DUI suspension.
• Driving for work is covered in hardship licenses.
• Refusals are covered in the refusal law.
• Ranges are in DUI penalties.

Other charges

• Suspended-license charges are explained in driving while license suspended.
• Drug charges after a stop are covered in drug paraphernalia.
• A domestic arrest is covered in what happens after a domestic violence arrest.
• Maximums are in penalties by degree of crime.

Traffic tickets

• The choices for a civil ticket are in the pay or fight guide.
• Which citations are crimes is explained in criminal versus civil citations.

Frequently asked questions

Does Pompano Beach have its own police department?

No. The city says it has contracted with the Broward Sheriff's Office for police services since August 1, 1999, and lists Police / BSO at 100 SW 3rd Street.

Where is a Pompano Beach DUI case heard?

At the Central Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale. The circuit's AO 2021-30-CO (Amendment 2) files DUI cases with the MU prefix there.

Where is a Pompano Beach traffic ticket hearing held?

For a non-camera ticket written by a BSO District 11 deputy, at the North Regional Courthouse in Deerfield Beach, under AO 2026-07-CO.

Is alcohol allowed on Pompano Beach?

No. The city's beach safety rules list alcohol and glass among the acts prohibited under Chapter 98.02 of its code.

Are there jails in Pompano Beach?

Yes. BSO lists the Joseph V. Conte Facility, the North Broward Bureau and the Paul Rein Detention Facility at Pompano Beach addresses, though booking happens at the Main Jail in Fort Lauderdale.

Which nearby cities do we also cover?

Our Deerfield Beach page covers the next city north, also policed by BSO. Our Coral Springs page covers a city to the west with its own police department. Our Fort Lauderdale page covers the city where Pompano cases are booked and most are heard. Our Boca Raton page covers the city where the office is. The rest of the county is on our Broward County page.

How can Mr. Mead help with a Pompano Beach case?

Mr. Mead has defended criminal and DUI cases in South Florida for more than three decades, from his office at 370 W. Camino Gardens Blvd., Suite 333, Boca Raton, and he represents clients in Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade and Martin counties. He can sort out which courthouse each part of a case belongs in, keep the license deadline from slipping, and explain your options before the first court date. The first consultation is free, and you can call 24 hours. Read about his background on the firm overview.

Every case is different, and no result can be promised. If you or someone in your family was arrested in Pompano Beach, a confidential phone call to (561) 362-6677 is a sound first step.

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