DUI Lawyers in St. Augustine

Florida residents who are faced with DUI charges may be imprisoned, fined, or have their license suspended or revoked. Penalties can vary and increase with each offense. In addition to jail time and financial penalties, a person charged with DUI may also be sentenced with probation, vehicle impoundment, community service, and DUI classes.

Driving under the influence is typically considered as a misdemeanor offense in the state of Florida, except in cases of aggravated DUI (for example, when injuries occur) or multiple offenses. A DUI is a felony in Florida if it is the third offense in ten years or a fourth (or additional) offense.

DUI penalties in the state of Florida may include:

• Up to 6 months in jail, up to $1,000 in fines, and/or up to 1 year of license suspension for a first offense.
• Up to 9 months in jail, up to $2,000 in fines, and/or 5 or more years of license suspension for a second offense.
• Up to 5 years in jail, up to $5,000 in fines, and/or 10 or more years of license suspension or permanent revocation for a felony offense.

During a DUI stop, the officer who arrested you may have asked you to take a breathalyzer test or field sobriety test. People who are accused of driving drunk are not legally required to submit to a breathalyzer test.

Although you cannot be forced to take the test, refusing to do so can have consequences. A person who refuses a breathalyzer test when they are suspected of driving under the influence may face harsher legal penalties in the event of a conviction.

Whether or not you will need to go to trial to resolve your DUI case will depend on the details of your specific circumstances.

Our St. Augustine DUI lawyers craft individualized strategies for all of our clients. We do not apply a uniform approach to our legal practice, and rather aim to do what is right for every case. If a plea is a plausible resolution to your case, we have the negotiation experience that is necessary to successfully reach an agreement. When in-trial litigation is necessary, our attorneys can fight for you in court.

Before the legal process can even begin, people accused of driving under the influence must complete a hearing with the DMV. During this hearing, the DMV will decide if they are going to revoke or suspend your license. This hearing must be completed within 10 days of arrest.