Driving a vehicle in Florida is considered a privilege. In order to maintain that privilege drivers must abide by a number of different traffic laws and when they do not there are consequences. The severity of the consequences depends on the severity of the offense, but one type of offense that can lead to significant consequences is a DUI. Most people know that it is illegal to drink alcohol and drive and that it can be dangerous, but that does not stop all drivers and many people are charged with DUIs each year.
The consequences for a DUI include both criminal penalties as well as consequences relating to the ability to drive. People may be aware that they will lose their driver’s licenses for a period of time and may be required to have ignition interlock in their vehicles, but they can also be prohibited from driving their vehicle at all for a period of time. For a first time DUI, the vehicle must be impounded or immobilized for a period of 10 days. For a second offense that time increases to 30 days and for a third or subsequent offense people will lose their vehicle for 90 days.
This vehicle impoundment or immobilization is a condition of probation. This means that people will not lose their vehicles if they are not convicted of the DUI. Simply being charged with a DUI does not mean that a person is guilty. There could be defenses available, most of which start with determining when the police properly stopped the vehicle and properly obtained the evidence needed to convict a person of a DUI. If they did not do those things properly, the evidence could be suppressed and a conviction may become unlikely.
Drinking alcohol and driving in Florida is a dangerous activity and the potential penalties for doing so can be severe in order to deter people from doing it. However, people are innocent until proven guilty and prosecutors must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that people are guilty of the offense. If they are not convicted then they will never realize the potential penalties.