First-Time DUI in Brevard County, FL

What Happens When You Get Your First DUI

A first-time DUI charge includes fines, license suspension, vehicle impoundment, ignition interlock device (IID) installation, and jail time. Increased penalties may apply if the guilty driver had a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .15 percent or higher, was involved in a collision that resulted in injuries or property damage, or was driving with a passenger under the age of 18. The following administrative and criminal sanctions may apply if you are charged with a DUI in Florida.

• Suspension of License:  Generally, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) will suspend a motorist’s license for six months if the driver is apprehended for driving with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 percent or greater. In breach of Florida’s “implied consent” legislation, drivers who refuse to submit to chemical testing face a one-year administrative suspension.

   

• Hardship License: A person whose license has been suspended due to a DUI conviction can frequently obtain a “hardship” license, which is typically limited to driving to and from job, school, church, and medical appointments. After 30 days of suspension, a driver whose license has been suspended for having a blood alcohol concentration of .08 percent or more is normally eligible for a hardship license.
   
• Monetary Fines: A standard first DUI conviction involves a fine of $500 to $1000. However, if your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was .15 percent or above, or if you had a passenger under the age of 18, the fines will range from $1000 to $2000. For DUIs involving “severe bodily injury” to another person, fines can reach $5000.

   

• Probation & Volunteer Work: All first-time DUI offenders in Florida are obliged to be placed on probation. Generally, the total time spent on probation and in jail cannot exceed one year. All first offenders must also complete at least 50 hours of community service as a probation requirement.

   

• Impoundment of Vehicles: For first offenders, their vehicles are often confiscated or immobilized for ten days. The ten days cannot run concurrently with any time spent in jail for the DUI conviction.

   

• Jail Time: There is no obligatory minimum jail time for most first-time DUI offenders. The maximum punishment imposed is determined by the facts of the case.
   
• Interlocking Ignition Devices: Florida judges are not obligated to order IIDs in the majority of first-time DUI cases. However, judges can award an IID for six months or longer for offenders with BACs of .08 percent or above. An IID is required for six months if the convicted motorist has a blood alcohol concentration of .15 percent or higher or if the passenger was under the age of 18.