Miami Florida, Do I Have to Undertake Community Service If I Am Arrested for DUI?
If a driver is arrested for DUI, then they will have to face a wide range of penalties including having to do a certain amount of community service to make up for the danger they put the society in by performing such an act. In Florida, drivers are only required to do 60 hours of community service if they are caught for a first-time DUI offense. If they are caught for subsequent offenses, they will have to face other fines but they most likely will not have to do community hours. However, they may be requested to do community hours if their prosecutor sees fit.
Apart from doing community hours, most individuals who are arrested for DUI also must complete DUI school, especially if they are convicted of a second or third offense. The treatment plan after DUI school can last anywhere from between six weeks and one year.
What can aggravate my DUI charges?
A person can have aggravated DUI charges if any of the following conditions apply:
- They resisted arrest
- They refused to give their breath test
- They got into an accident while DUI
- They were very heavily intoxicated
- They had a minor in the vehicle with them
If a person refused to give their breath test, they are guilty of committing a crime. If they previously refused to submit a breath test and they do it a second time again, they can be arrested and charged accordingly. If a person refuses to give their breath test the first time their license can get suspended for a year and for their second time their license can be suspended for up to 18 months.
A person should get in touch with a DUI lawyer in Miami Florida to help them explore possible defenses and possibly have their penalties reduced. A police officer may arrest a person wrongfully because their equipment was not working properly, and it gave a false reading of their BAC. If a lawyer can prove that the equipment was faulty a person may even have their penalties completely removed.
The penalties are even more severe for those with a commercial driver’s license. Anyone with a commercial driver’s license who refuses to give a BAC test the first time will have their license suspended for a year and for a second time they will have their license suspended permanently and will not be allowed to drive a commercial vehicle any longer.
What can a lawyer do for me?
Most DUI cases are not very long as the BAC of a person will generally immediately determine whether a person was guilty of DUI or not. However, even if a person has a high BAC they should call a legal professional as it is possible that the device the officer used was faulty or the method through which they administered the test was not according to the law. A lawyer will be able to use their knowledge and expertise to create defenses that can help reduce the legal consequences a person is forced to face.
