In Florida, trafficking is a weight threshold rather than a description of selling. Florida Statute 893.135 attaches mandatory minimum terms of imprisonment and fixed fines once an alleged quantity crosses a line printed in the statute.
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Or call (813) 588-6602Florida Statute 893.13(6)(a) makes simple possession of a controlled substance a felony of the third degree, and subsection (6)(b) makes possession of 20 grams or less of cannabis a misdemeanor of the first degree. Florida Statute 893.135 sits above that structure and operates on quantity. A person who knowingly sells, purchases, manufactures, delivers, or brings into this state, or who is knowingly in actual or constructive possession of, a listed substance at or above a stated threshold commits trafficking, which the statute designates a felony of the first degree.
The cannabis thresholds are stated in weight and plant count. In excess of 25 pounds, or 300 or more plants, carries a mandatory minimum term of 3 years and a fine of $25,000. In excess of 2,000 pounds, or 2,000 or more plants, carries a mandatory minimum of 7 years and a $50,000 fine. In excess of 10,000 pounds, or 10,000 or more plants, carries a mandatory minimum of 15 calendar years and a $200,000 fine.
The cocaine thresholds follow the same pattern. Twenty-eight grams or more but less than 200 grams carries a mandatory minimum of 3 years and a $50,000 fine. Two hundred grams or more but less than 400 grams carries 7 years and a $100,000 fine. Four hundred grams or more but less than 150 kilograms carries 15 calendar years and a $250,000 fine. At 150 kilograms or more the statute provides for imprisonment for life, with no eligibility for discretionary early release except as the statute allows. Further schedules in the same section cover other substances, each with its own numbers.
A mandatory minimum is a floor. Mitigation and the guideline calculation under Florida Statute 921.0024 operate above it rather than below it unless a statutory mechanism applies. Florida Statute 893.135 does contain a provision allowing the state attorney to move the sentencing court to reduce or suspend a sentence where substantial assistance is rendered, and 921.0024 notes a discretionary multiplier where the primary offense is drug trafficking at specified severity levels. Those are statutory exceptions with their own requirements, and neither is automatic.
Because the charge is defined by quantity, how quantity was measured is central. The statute speaks of the substance or a mixture containing it, so packaging material, moisture, and the composition of a mixture can all be contested, as can laboratory chain of custody and scale calibration. A difference of a gram is meaningless in ordinary speech and decisive at a statutory boundary.
The statute also reaches actual or constructive possession. Constructive possession is not a synonym for proximity; it involves knowledge of the presence of the substance and the ability to exercise dominion and control over it. In a shared vehicle, a shared residence, or a delivered package, that element is frequently the contested one.
Administrative Order S-2025-063 of the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit adopts the statewide uniform bond schedule for Hillsborough County and excludes trafficking in a controlled substance from booking-officer release under it, while stating that the schedule does not bind a judge. Administrative Order S-2024-030 places first appearance hearings and all pretrial detention hearings in Criminal Division "O," conducted by audiovisual device. The Hillsborough County Clerk of the Circuit Court prepares the official court file after arrest and forwards it to the State Attorney, which decides whether formal charges are filed and on what counts.
This page is general information about Florida drug statutes and local procedure. It is not legal advice and assesses no allegation, quantity, or defense. Because 893.135 carries mandatory minimum terms, anyone facing such a charge should speak with a licensed Florida attorney without delay.
Drug Trafficking in Florida: Weight Thresholds and Minimums in Tampa. Call (813) 588-6602 and a Tampa lawyer reviews the claim and the deadline that applies. Nothing is signed on that call.
Call (813) 588-6602Administrative Order S-2025-063 of the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit adopts the statewide uniform bond schedule for Hillsborough County without change, effective January 1 through December 31, 2026. The order states the schedule applies only to the booking officer and does not bind a judge. It also excludes a long list of arrests: capital, life, first- and second-degree felonies, homicide, felony battery, domestic battery by strangulation, and domestic violence under Florida Statutes 741.28. The list continues with stalking, robbery, burglary, carjacking, kidnapping, trafficking in a controlled substance, and violation of a protective injunction. It reaches anyone on pretrial release, probation or community control at the time of a felony arrest, and anyone arrested three or more times in the preceding six months.
Why it matters: It decides whether anyone can be bonded out at the jail counter or has to wait for a judge. For every excluded charge there is no pre-first-appearance release, and the judge then makes an individualized determination under Florida Statutes 903.011(6) and 903.046 and Rule 3.131. Prior supervision status and recent arrest history change the answer even when the charge itself is minor.
Source: fljud13.org
The Hillsborough County Clerk of Court states that after a felony arrest the county jail sends the initial paperwork to the Clerk's felony department. That department prepares the official court file, including the original arrest document and any release forms, and forwards it to the Office of the State Attorney. The State Attorney then determines whether to file formal charges. Once charges are filed with the Clerk, the defendant is notified by mail of an arraignment date, sent to the address provided at the time of arrest, and the bail bond agent is also notified if the defendant bonded out. The felony department cannot change a court date once notice has gone out.
Why it matters: An arrest is not a filed charge, and the gap between them is where people assume a case has gone away. The notice that resumes it goes to whatever address was recorded at booking, so anyone who moved, or who gave a temporary address, can miss a court date they never saw. Missing it does not pause the case.
Source: hillsclerk.com
Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.130 requires that every arrested person not already released in a lawful manner be taken before a judicial officer within 24 hours of arrest, in person or by electronic audiovisual device at the court's discretion. At that hearing the judge must state the charge, provide a copy of the complaint, and advise the person of the right to remain silent and the right to counsel. Rule 3.133 sets a separate 48-hour limit for a nonadversary probable cause determination when the defendant is in custody.
Why it matters: In Hillsborough County that hearing is normally run by video link from the county jail, and release conditions are addressed at it. Rule 3.130(c)(2) also requires the judge to allow a defendant who is hiring counsel reasonable time to send for that lawyer and, on request, to have an officer carry a message to a named lawyer inside the county at no cost. That makes the first day after an arrest the point at which counsel matters most.
Source: flcourts.gov
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