If you’re living in the state of Florida or if you’re planning on moving there, you’ll need to know the penalties for Driving Under the Influence aka DUI as the state does not take this offense lightly.
Florida is known for some pretty hard DUI laws and penalties. They have a Blood Alcohol Level aka BAL of .08%, as well as any chemical or controlled substance.
Should you get your first bust and conviction, get ready to fork over some money and worse. You can get fined from $500 on up to $1,000 and if you BAL is .15% or even higher and are unfortunate enough to have a minor in the vehicle your fine will be $1,000 to $2,000. You may have to do community service as well which is a mandatory 50 hours or even an additional fine of $10 per community service hour. You may get probation of no more than one year, jail time of about 6 months for less than .15% BAL but higher means you’ll be looking at around 9 months. Your vehicle might get impounded as well for 10 days which does not include your incarceration time. Finally you might get your license revoked for up to a year.
Your second conviction is even worse. You’re looking at fines of $1,000 to $2,000 for a BAL of .15% or higher and if you have a kid in the car you’re looking at $2,000 to $4,000 in fines. Jail time that can reach 9 months and 12 months if you have a BAL of .15% or higher with a kid in the car. If it’s your second conviction within five years you’re looking at a mandatory jail stretch of ten days. Your vehicle can be impounded for 30 days under the same guidelines and your license can be revoked for 5 years.
Your third conviction is the nightmare. Fines starting at $2,000 to $5,000 and if you have a kid in the car, get ready to pay a minimum of $4,000. Mandatory 30 days in the slammer if it’s your 3rd conviction in 10 years. Vehicle impound for 90 days and possible license revoked for a minimum of ten years if your conviction occurs within ten years of your second conviction.
Your fourth time around is unspeakable. Just get an attorney now and make sure you understand DUI laws in Florida before it’s too late.
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