If a Florida law enforcement agency has arrested you for driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol and drugs, your mind will undoubtedly roil with numerous questions as your first court date approaches. Some of the most likely questions you’ll internally debate include:

The state of Florida has 0.02% tolerance for underage driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol. That is, 0.02% is the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) threshold set by the state’s “zero-tolerance” underage DUI laws. Drivers under the age of 21 with a BAC exceeding 0.02% face an immediate administrative driver’s license suspension for a minimum of six months. Those with a BAC exceeding 0.08% also face arrest on criminal DUI charges and the penalties that come with a conviction.

Florida’s aggressive approach to combat impaired driving paid dividends in 2022, as state law enforcement agencies arrested over 44,000 motorists for driving under the influence (DUI), a 30% increase over the nearly 34,000 DUI arrests recorded in 2021. Of those arrested, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles’ Uniform Traffic Citation reporting, 23,546 were convicted of DUI, while almost 9,000 remain pending in the court system. While only 156 of those arrested secured an acquittal at trial, over 11,000 had their charges dismissed, reduced, or otherwise resolved...

Florida inched closer towards legalizing recreational marijuana usage in early February after proponents submitted enough petition signatures to trigger a state supreme court review of a proposed constitutional amendment. If the high court approves the amendment’s language and backers can secure another 600,000 signatures, Florida voters could adopt the measure in 2024. To pass, 60% of voters would need to approve the amendment, but it first needs to pass muster with the high court, which rejected two similar legalization amendments proposed in 2021.

According to the latest Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles’ Annual Uniform Citation Report, Florida police arrested 33,723 people on criminal driving under the influence (DUI) charges in 2021, of which 352 were arrested in Leon County. If you were among those arrested that year, you already know you face significant consequences if convicted. However, if you have never been arrested for DUI, you might not realize how severe the penalties for DUI are.

Florida laws mandate severe penalties for those convicted of driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol and/or drugs. A conviction may result in potential loss of driver’s license, fines, community service, mandatory substance abuse counseling, ignition interlock requirements, and other possible penalties, including a jail term. Such punishment can certainly disrupt your life, but if you compound the DUI with hit and run charges, you face potential consequences that can totally upend your life.