Florida DUI Penalties

By Jonathan Blecher on May 23, 2017

It’s no secret: Like Texas and Arizona, Florida is notorious for being tough on crime and DUI is NO exception. Now that you’re headed to court, you’re concerned about your job, your family, your auto insurance, and maybe even your FICO score.

You may be worried about how a DUI would affect your ability to possess a firearm, or if a family court judge would frown upon you during a child custody battle. If you have a green card and you had a drug-related DUI or a felony DUI, could you be deported?

As you can see, there are a number of consequences to a DUI, and I’m only scratching the surface. Without all of the facts, I cannot pinpoint the penalties you’re up against, but I can give you a good idea.

The penalties for DUI vary depending on a number of factors, such as your criminal history, your blood alcohol level (BAL) at the time of the arrest, and whether anybody was injured or killed as a result of the impaired driving.

Here are the basic penalties for DUI in Florida:

1st DUI

  • Up to $1,000 fine (up to $2,000 with BAL of 0.15% or higher or minor in
    the vehicle).
  • Must complete 50 hours of community service, or pay $10 for each hour of
    community service required.
  • Up to 1 year license revocation.
  • Probation under Sec. 316.193 (5)(6), F.S.
  • Up to 9 months in jail depending on BAL.
  • DUI School must be completed for a hardship reinstatement.
  • Impoundment of vehicle.
  • Ignition Interlock Device (IID) requirement for BAL of 0.15% or above or
    minor in vehicle.

2nd DUI

  • Up to $2,000 fine (up to $4,000 with BAL of 0.15% or minor in the vehicle).
  • Up to 9 or 12 months in jail depending on BAL.
  • Up to 5 years license revocation.
  • Must complete DUI School.
  • Impoundment of vehicle.
  • Ignition Interlock Device required.

3rd DUI

  • Up to $5,000 fine (with a BAL of 0.15% or minor in vehicle, not less than $4,000).
  • Up to 12 months in jail.
  • License revocation for a minimum of 10 years.
  • Impoundment of vehicle.
  • Ignition Interlock Device required.

This is a basic summary of the DUI penalties in Florida. If you are facing DUI charges in Miami-Dade County, don’t give up the fight. Contact my firm to not only for aggressive legal representation, but to work with one
of the area’s top-rated DUI defense attorneys!

Arrested? Call 305-321-3237 today to begin discussing your legal options!

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