Darla K. Snead, P.L., Attorney at Law

05/23/2026

Wishing everyone a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend.

05/14/2026

Florida has become a leader in protecting animals and holding accountable those who harm them. Today, we built on that record with new legislation to strengthen penalties for animal abuse and improve consumer protections for pet owners.  

HB 559 gives law enforcement and local communities additional tools to crack down on animal abuse, including new felony penalties for horrific acts of animal cruelty. SB 1004 enhances legal protections for Floridians who buy and own pets and provides real accountability for businesses that violate the law.

Florida is a law-and-order state. We will not tolerate those who abuse and exploit innocent animals, and we will defend the rights of responsible pet owners.

05/11/2026

Wishing all the mothers a very Happy Mother’s Day! ❤️

12/31/2025

Wishing you all a happy and healthy New Year!

12/22/2025

Wishing everyone Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! Our office will be closed until January 5, 2025.

11/27/2025

Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving!

11/21/2025

🚨🚨🚨 SCAM ALERT 🚨🚨🚨

This happened today in our county - a resident was contacted by a scammer who told her his name was "Sgt. Glover, badge number 0738" and that he was calling from the Polk County Sheriff's Office regarding her not showing up for jury duty.

(We don't have anyone here by that name, by the way)

He instructed her to meet him at our main operations center in Winter Haven - he even gave her the actual address. Fortunately she didn't fall for it, she called us instead.

The scammer sent her a photo of her "warrant" - we removed her name but do you see how elaborate of a ruse this is? It looks pretty legit if you aren't used to seeing a real warrant. Here's one clue: Winter haven spelled with a lowercase h. Also, he claimed to work here but this is supposedly a "federal" warrant. No.

Oh he also told her that she was under a "gag order" and not to tell anyone about this. Well of course he didn't want her to tell anyone - how else could he pull this off?

HERE'S WHAT WE KNOW:
He would have met her in our parking lot, or called her when she was en-route and re-directed her to another location.

He then would have told her to pay him electronically to "clear this matter up" and that she was free to go after that.

This is a common jury duty scam, with a new twist - a fake warrant.

Do a quick Google search and you'll see lots of other fake warrants that look just like this.

Stacy M. Butterfield, CPA, Polk County Clerk of Courts warns about jury duty scams all the time - they are the entity (not the Sheriff's Office) to contact regarding jury duty and they will never, ever call you with threats, and you will never, ever have a warrant issued if you don't show up for jury duty.

If you receive a call like this, hang up and contact the Clerk of Courts Office or your local law enforcement agency. Do not call the number back. Block the number that called you.

Be vigilant! Don't let the scammers get your hard-earned money.

11/11/2025

Happy Veterans Day! We appreciate all of our Veterans today and every day!

10/24/2025

How Mediators Help Parents Create Parenting Plans in Florida

Mediation can be very helpful for creating a parenting plan. Contact our Lakeland mediation attorney, Darla K. Snead, P.L., for help with this.

10/17/2025

What To Expect in a Virtual Divorce Mediation: A Brief Step-by-Step Guide

If you have questions or need help determining if divorce mediation is the best option for you, contact our Lakeland mediation attorney, Darla K. Snead, P.L.