In a criminal case, the state, through a prosecutor, initiates the suit, while in a civil case the victim brings the suit. Persons convicted of a crime may be incarcerated, fined, or both. Criminal defense attorneys represent clients who have been accused of committing a crime, and defend their rights at each stage of a misdemeanor or felony case -- from an arrest to an appeal after conviction. Criminal defense attorneys may be hired privately or provided by the government (called "public defenders").
Pompano Beach is a city in Broward County, Florida, along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean just to the north of Fort Lauderdale. The Nearby Hillsboro Inlet forms part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. As of 2007, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's population was 102,745. It is part of the South Florida metropolitan area, which is home to 5,413,212 people. Pompano Beach is currently in the middle of a redevelopment process of its neglected beachfront which promises to reinvent the city. The city has also been listed as one of the top real estate markets being featured in CNN, Money and the Wall Street Journal as one of the country's top vacation home markets. Pompano Beach Airpark, located within the city, is the home of the Goodyear Blimp Spirit of Innovation.