Destin, Fort Walton Beach, Niceville, Valparaiso,
Mary Esther and all Florida state criminal law
cases originating south of the Shoal River Bridge are held in Shalimar,
Florida
The location of the courthouse for your Florida state criminal law
case will be determined by the location of the arrest or where the
incident leading to arrest occurred (federal cases are handled in
different courthouses than state cases).
MISDEMEANORS:
If the arrest or incident which led to your Florida state criminal
law case was south of the Shoal River bridge, the case will be heard in
the Shalimar Courthouse Annex on Eglin Parkway (State Road 85) in
Shalimar, Florida.
FELONIES:
All Okaloosa County Florida state criminal law cases have felony
arraignment (sometimes called "Plea Day" in Okaloosa County) in the
Crestview, Florida, courthouse. However, the actual case will be
litigated in the Shalimar Courthouse Annex in Shalimar, Florida,
unless the case originated north of the Shoal Rive bridge. This can
be confusing to people who have been charged with Florida state criminal
law crimes, but your Shalimar attorney (or Destin attorney, Fort Walton
Beach attorney or Niceville attorney) will be familiar with the
procedure. Usually, your criminal defense attorney will file a Waiver of
Arraignment so you will not have to go to "Plea Day" in Crestview,
Florida.
The Okaloosa
County Jail is located about thirty (30) miles from the
Shalimar Annex. Attorneys and lawyers from the
surrounding area handle all types of cases at the Shalimar Courthouse
Annex,
including Florida criminal and civil law cases. Shalimar (and
surrounding area) attorneys
are well aware of the soon to be updated security protocols that will
make the Shalimar
Courthouse Annex a more secure judicial facility. The "Shalimar Shooting
Gallery" is an inadequate judicial facility in many ways, the most
serious of which is basic courthouse security. Shalimar attorney Stephen
G. Cobb has filed legal motions since the 1990's for a change of venue
due to inadequate courthouse security.
Like most of northwest Florida, the roads, bridges and other vehicle
infrastructure has not caught up to the growth. Most attorneys and
lawyers practicing at the Shalimar courthouse Annex
actually maintain offices elsewhere outside of Shalimar. Cobb Criminal Defense Law firm maintains an office in
nearby Fort Walton Beach, Florida (on Okaloosa Island, near Destin) for
client meetings. However, we have actually found that most of our clients prefer
phone appointments for most discussions concerning their legal matters.
This was quite a surprise, until we factored in the cost of gas, lost
time from work, daycare issues, and the time it now takes to drive even
short distances in the local area, especially in parts of Fort Walton
Beach, Niceville and Destin. After all, a trip to the
lawyer's office on a work day imposes a severe hardship for a routine
matter that can be handled with a phone call, a fax or an e-mail.
Thus, for many busy local residents and most out of state residents,
teleconferencing is often the only way to handle lawyer appointments due
to time constraints. The Internet, the fax machine and especially the
telephone have dramatically changed how attorneys and clients
communicate - especially in a fast growing community such as Shalimar,
Florida.
