What is the penalty for a first DUI in Florida?
The statutory range for a first conviction is up to six months in jail with a fine of $500 to $1,000. Where the reading was at or above .15, or a minor was in the vehicle, the range increases to up to nine months and $1,000 to $2,000.
What surprises most people isn't the jail exposure — it's everything attached to it. A first conviction generally carries a year of probation, fifty hours of community service, a ten-day vehicle impoundment, DUI school with any evaluation and treatment it recommends, and license revocation.
The costs compound quickly. Fines, court costs, DUI school, probation supervision fees, the impoundment, an interlock device where required, and the insurance filing needed for reinstatement.
Judges have discretion within these ranges, and probation can substitute for some or all jail time on a first offense.
The fine is the smallest number on this list. Plan for the rest. ---
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