Florida Statutes 319.193 governs driving under the influence of alcohol. DUI can be proved by physical and mental impairment or a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or above as determined by breath or blood testing. Florida’s legislature, prosecutors and judges take DUI charges seriously.
Time is of the Essence
If you’re charged with a Florida DUI, you must act quickly. There is only a 10-day period for you to seek a formal hearing on a six-month driver’s license suspension for a first offense. Retaining a DUI attorney in Ponte Vedra is the most important way that you can help yourself. Other penalties for a first DUI conviction include the following:
- Up to six months in jail.
- A fine between $500 and $1,000. If your blood alcohol concentration was .15 or higher, or there was a minor in the vehicle, the fine will range between $1,000 and $2,000.
- Mandatory 50 hours of community service.
- An alcohol and substance abuse evaluation and a minimum of 12 hours of remedial education.
- Up to six months of required use of an ignition interlock device.
Penalties increase in severity for second and third offenses.
Defenses
You’ll want an experienced, aggressive and effective DUI attorney in Ponte Vedra representing you. Here are some of the successful defenses that we’ve used in DUI cases:
- There was no legal basis for the traffic stop.
- Questioning the subjective determinations involved in any field sobriety tests that you might have taken.
- Challenging the admissibility of breath or blood testing.
Florida law doesn’t require you to take any field sobriety tests, and even if you haven’t consumed a drop of alcohol, you don’t want to be filmed performing them. Politely refuse them. You don’t even have to take a breath test, but all that the police officer who pulled you over needs to do is obtain a search warrant for blood testing. Even blood testing isn’t definitive though, and it can be challenged in the courts. Contact a DUI attorney in Ponte Vedra from our offices at your earliest opportunity after an arrest. We want to keep you out of jail and on the road.
