Driving Under the Influence (DUI), Driving While Intoxicated (DWI), and Drunk Driving (DD) are very serious charges, whether they stem from alcohol or illegal drugs or medically prescribed ones. Not only will you be subject to suspension of your license, costly legal fees, fines, court expenses, community service and probation, your reputation, employment, subsequent employment, and auto insurance rates can be severely affected. If a DUI, DWI or DD charge is a repeat offense and/or combined with additional charges, such as involving another vehicle, pedestrian, property damage or results in the death of another person, you could be facing jail time to a devastating prison sentence.

Regardless of whether you agreed or not to a breathalyzer test, blood alcohol test or urine test, you need expert legal representation. Florida criminal traffic violations will affect your driving privileges, finances and possibly your freedoms even if you are not a Florida resident.

A DUI defense attorney can guide you through the legal maze and fines associated with your blood alcohol level, any drugs or paraphernalia found in the course of your arrest, and the legal repercussions associated with previous DUI convictions. Incarceration periods are based on how high the blood or breath alcohol level was at the time of arrest and how many drunk driving offenses have been committed in the past. A good attorney will discuss whether your case has merit to go before the court and seek a drug or alcohol treatment program, which can result in time served if you are facing jail time.

Any time a person is arrested for a DUI in the State of Florida, he or she must challenge two cases. The first is a court case, which directly affects your personal freedom and the second case is the one made against you by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. If, in the course of your DUI arrest, you refused to submit to a breathalyzer, blood or urine test, or if any of these tests reveal a Blood Alcohol Level (BAL) over .08, you must request a special hearing within 10 days in order to keep your license. If you fail to meet this deadline, you will be sidelined with a minimum 6-month suspension of your Florida driver’s license. If you are younger than 21 and charged with a DUI, you are suspect to Florida’s Zero Tolerance Law, which means a BAL of .02 or higher is an automatic suspension of your license for 6 months. One drink is equivalent to a BAL of .02 and therefore it is known as a Zero Tolerance Law.

Obviously, the most serious of DUI charges involve repeat offenders with an injury or fatality and leaving the scene of an accident. For this type of situation, it is absolutely imperative that you seek immediate legal representation. This is not a matter of if you get caught, it is when you get caught. Florida’s law enforcement and legal prosecutors take these crimes extremely serious. If this is your situation, seek immediate legal representation and prepare to turn yourself over to the authorities. If you have had more than two DUIs your third may lead to Felony charges. Felony DUI is complicated, procedurally.