A DUI can truly happen to anyone. A defendant may have left a party to pick up more ice, failed to signal a turn, and found themselves in handcuffs. It is not uncommon for a drunk driving incident to serve as an individual’s sole experience of arrest. Arrest and transport to jail, along with the booking process, can leave someone confused and frightened, uncertain of how to proceed. Luckily, all a DUI defendant needs to do is call 321-638-2245. At Tom Culbreth Bail Bonds, we’re the local source for DUI bail in Cocoa and All of Brevard County, FL.
The frequency of DUI arrests does not mitigate their seriousness, nor the consequences that can occur. While most defendants might find themselves in handcuffs after a simple traffic stop, others may cause deadly accidents. A DUI can be charged as either a misdemeanor or felony, depending on the circumstances and the number of prior convictions.
In Florida, the minimum blood alcohol content for a DUI charge is .08 percent. The punishment for DUIs increases with each consecutive arrest, and someone convicted of a DUI can never have the charge expunged from their public record. A first or second DUI almost always counts as a misdemeanor. However, if the driver injured someone or damaged property, any DUI can count as a felony. Typical punishments for DUIs appear below. A BAC of 0.15 or higher will increase both the fines and term of imprisonment.
First DUI: For a first DUI, you can expect 50 hours of community service, a year of probation, no more than six months in jail, 12 hours of DUI school, and at least 180 days of license revocation. If your BAC exceeded .15, you can count on additional fines.
Second DUI: A fine of at least $1,000, imprisonment not to exceed nine months, and mandatory 10 day imprisonment if the charge occurred within five years of the previous DUI.
Third DUI: A fine of at least $2,000, and imprisonment for no more than 12 months. If this conviction occurs within 10 years of the previous, it counts as a third degree felony, and has a mandatory jail sentence of 30 days.
Subsequent convictions will always count as felonies, and have prison terms not to exceed five years. Bodily injury to someone else can elevate any DUI to a felony, with the maximum jail sentence of five years. If the drunk driver killed someone, the charge becomes DUI manslaughter. This is a second degree felony, with a prison term of up to 15 years.
DUI laws in Florida are fairly complicated, so if you have any questions, make sure to consult a lawyer. At Tom Culbreth Bail Bonds, we’re more than ready to provide DUI bail in Cocoa and All of Brevard County, FL. After the humiliation of a DUI arrest, you will naturally want to leave jail as stress free as possible. The team at Tom Culbreth Bail Bonds can make it happen, so give us a call today at 321-638-2245.
