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Enhanced Penalties For First DUI

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Even on your first DUI, you can face enhanced penalties. Specifically, the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office and Broward State Attorney's Office enforce the increased sentences as mandated by the Florida Legislature.
On a first DUI, you are looking at the following sentence if you accept a guilty or no contest plea:
An adjudication (conviction), court costs, 6 months of reporting probation, a $500 fine, 50 community service hours, DUI school, a six-month driver's license suspension, one session of MADD's Victim Impact Panel, a 10-day vehicle impoundment.
If you are in Miami-Dade County, you will have to make a $25.00 donation to the Ryder Trauma Center.
You may also be responsible for cost recovery. This is a payment made to the arresting agency, compensating them for their time and work on the case.
Now, what I listed above are just the standard penalty conditions for a first DUI.
If it is alleged that you had a child in the car while driving under the influence, or your breath result showed a blood-alcohol concentration of .15 or higher, you are subject to enhanced DUI penalties.
An enhanced first DUI penalty consists of the following:
An adjudication (conviction), court costs, 6 months of reporting probation, a $1,000 fine, 100 community service hours, DUI school, a six-month driver's license suspension, one session of MADD's Victim Impact Panel, a 10-day vehicle impoundment, and 6 months with an Ignition Interlock device in your car (at your expense).
As a Miami and Broward DUI attorney, I represent clients charged with first DUIs where the State is seeking enhanced penalties. It is important to have a criminal defense attorney on your side who can thoroughly investigate all of the allegations against you so that you can be properly informed of your options.
DUIs can have long-lasting effects. You will have a conviction on your record that cannot be sealed or expunged. Your car insurance rates will go up. You will likely have to disclose your arrest to prospective employers. You will have to spend a considerable amount of money on probation fees, court costs, and other related expenses.
Whether it is a case of refusing the breath test, or one with a high result on the breath test, your DUI attorney should possess the knowledge to attack the State's evidence in either situation.
If you or someone you know is looking at enhanced penalties for a first DUI, please call my office today.
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