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IN KEY WEST
IN KEY WEST
Whether you live in the Florida Keys all year or are just visiting, it’s easy to get caught up in the laid-back atmosphere. Unfortunately, if you relax too much, you might find yourself facing a DUI charge. You may not be able to undo the arrest, but you can take the next best step — retaining an experienced DUI attorney from Reed Palacios Law.
Our attorneys have vast experience with the Monroe County court system, and we understand the importance of supporting and communicating with you throughout your case.
Many people don’t consider DUI penalties in Florida until after a DUI arrest. Florida DUI laws are harsher than average, but penalties for first-time offenders are more lenient than those for repeat offenders.
If you are licensed in Florida, you may also face revocation of your driver’s license. This can immediately impact your life, and can take place prior to being convicted. Penalties related to your license through the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles are separate and independent of the criminal process. The attorneys at Reed Palacios Law can assist you through the DHSMV’s administrative process to request a hardship license and potential reinstatement.
If you’re convicted of a DUI in the Florida Keys, potential penalties could include a fine, imprisonment, or both. You’ll also likely face license suspension, education and counseling programs, and probation for DUI. Penalties also increase if you cause a crash or serious injuries. Generally, these are the maximum fines and prison terms you face if convicted.
If convicted, you’ll potentially owe a fine of $500 to $1,000 and face imprisonment for up to six months. However, if your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is 0.15 or higher or a child was in the car, the fine increases to $1,000 to $2,000, and the prison term could be up to nine months.
If you’re convicted of DUI a second time, you’ll owe a fine of $1,000 to $2,000 and face a prison term of up to nine months.
In cases where your BAC is 0.15 or more or a child is in the car, the fine will be $2,000 to $4,000, and you may be imprisoned for up to 12 months. However, if you receive a second DUI conviction within five years of your first, you’ll have a mandatory prison sentence of at least 10 days.
For a third offense, prison terms depend on the length of time between your prior convictions and the current one. If you’re convicted within 10 years of a previous conviction, you must be imprisoned for at least 30 days. If it’s been more than 10 years since your last conviction, you can be imprisoned for up to 12 months.
In either case, you’ll be fined between $2,000 and $5,000, but if your BAC was 0.15 or above or there was a child in the car, the fine must be at least $4,000.
An ignition interlock device is a device installed in your vehicle that only allows you to start it after passing a breathalyzer test. You typically will not be legally required to have one after a first offense if your BAC was under 0.15 and there were no children in the car at the time of arrest. For other offenses, an interlock is required as follows:
Being arrested for a DUI is never a simple matter, but it gets more complex if it happens while on vacation. Some people think they can simply go back to their home states and act as though nothing happened.
However, most states are part of the Driver License Compact, an interstate agreement where states share information about license suspensions, DUIs, and other violations. If your state is part of the DLC and you get a violation in Florida, your home state will be notified.
After a DUI arrest, you often must attend multiple court appearances. And in some instances, you could be required to spend days, weeks, or months in jail.
This is where it becomes important to retain a criminal defense attorney with experience defending those accused of DUI. A criminal defense lawyer may be able to arrange for you to serve your sentence in your home state or even call an administrative hearing to contest your license suspension.
If you’ve been caught in one of Monroe County’s sobriety checkpoints or have failed a field sobriety test after being pulled over, don’t panic — call Reed Palacios Law. We have years of experience helping locals and visitors alike handle DUI charges efficiently.
Having a DUI on your criminal record can have lifelong consequences, but our attorneys have years of experience creating individualized drunk driving defenses for our clients.
Even if you don’t receive a DUI case dismissal, we can advocate for you to receive lighter sentencing — and when it comes to license reinstatement, we can help with that, too.
If you’ve been arrested for DUI, don’t wait. The sooner you call us, the faster we can start working on your case. Call our office or get in touch online for a free consultation!
Let Our Experience Be Your Guide
