We recently posted an article about how police in Jacksonville and throughout Florida are emphasizing DUI stops and arrests more than ever. It is important for people to know their rights when they are stopped by a police officer who believes he/she may be driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. A guilty or no contest plea to DUI in Florida brings about very serious consequences from a prolonged license suspension to significant fines and the possibility of a jail sentence. For that reason, if you have been stopped for a possible DUI or arrested for DUI in the Jacksonville area, consider immediately contacting a DUI attorney in Jacksonville with the experience to properly handle your DUI case.
We also came across a recent article in the Jacksonville news that said Jacksonville is the worst speed trap city in Florida. Of course, a speeding ticket is nowhere near as serious as a DUI. In Florida, a DUI is a misdemeanor crime that carries serious penalties. If a person gets a third DUI, the state has the option of charging him/her with a felony that carries up to five years in prison. A speeding ticket is a civil infraction for which a person can be fined, although that fine can be fairly high depending on the difference between the person’s speed and the speed limit. Additionally, with a speeding ticket and other traffic infractions, points can be assessed on a person’s driver’s license if the traffic citation results in a conviction. If a person gets too many points in a certain period of time or fails to properly deal with the traffic citation, that could result in a suspended license. If a person gets stopped for driving with a suspended license, he/she will likely be arrested for the crime of driving with a suspended license which is a misdemeanor crime and, like a DUI charge, can be upgraded to a felony crime in Florida once a person accumulates enough driving with a suspended license convictions.