Areas We Serve

If you’ve been arrested anywhere in Polk County, your case will be handled in the Polk County court system, part of the Tenth Judicial Circuit, whose main courthouse is in Bartow. Whether you live in Lakeland, Winter Haven, Bartow, Haines City, or a small community like Eagle Lake or Polk City, I represent clients facing felony and misdemeanor charges throughout the entire county. What matters is getting an experienced, Board Certified criminal defense lawyer in your corner immediately.

As a Board Certified Criminal Trial Lawyer — a distinction held by less than 1 percent of Florida attorneys — I have defended clients from every corner of Polk County in front of every judge who sits in the 10th Circuit. I know the prosecutors and the courthouse, and how each city’s law enforcement approaches its cases. That local knowledge matters.

Polk County Communities I Serve

The Rodriguez Law Office handles criminal defense cases across all of Polk County, including:

Where Are Polk County Criminal Cases Heard?

All felony cases in Polk County are heard at the Polk County Courthouse, 255 N. Broadway Ave., Bartow, FL 33830, the seat of the Tenth Judicial Circuit. There, the Circuit Criminal (Felony) Division judges preside and the State Attorney’s Office prosecutes. Misdemeanor, traffic, and other county-court cases are heard either in Bartow or at one of two branch locations, depending on where in the county the offense occurred: the Lakeland Branch, 930 E. Parker St., Lakeland, FL 33801, and the Northeast Polk Government Center, 200 Government Center Blvd., Lake Alfred, FL 33850. Wherever your case is assigned, having a lawyer who regularly appears in that courthouse and knows how the local system works makes a real difference.

Cases I Handle Throughout Polk County

I defend clients charged with the full range of criminal offenses prosecuted in the 10th Judicial Circuit, including:

Why Local Representation Matters

Every city in Polk County has its own law enforcement agency with its own culture, documentation practices, and charging tendencies. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office handles the unincorporated areas and smaller communities. Lakeland PD, Winter Haven PD, Haines City PD, and others operate under different command structures with different priorities. A traffic stop on I-4 in Davenport by PCSO is investigated differently than a domestic call in a Lakeland neighborhood. I know these agencies and have cross-examined their officers, which lets me spot the weaknesses in how a case was built.

Hablamos Español. If you or a family member are more comfortable in Spanish, we can handle your case entirely in Spanish.