In Florida, a first time DUI, without an accident and injuries, is always a misdemeanor, but the penalties can still be quite severe. They range from possible jail time to a license suspension a fine and community service. The more DUI convictions a person gets, the more severe the penalties can be. In Florida, a third DUI charge can be charged as a felony which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. With a fourth DUI conviction, Florida law requires that the person’s driver’s license be suspended permanently.
However, a new proposed law in Florida would allow people with four DUI convictions and a permanent license revocation to possibly regain their driving privileges, according to an article on Firstcoastnews.com. With the proposed law, the person would have to go though educational courses and have an interlock device installed in his/her vehicle. An interlock device is a breathalyzer that the driver must blow into and pass before the car will start.
Interestingly, MADD supports the bill. Their reasoning is that there are a lot of people with permanently suspended licenses who are going to drive one way or another. With this law, those people would at least have the interlock device on their vehicles so they would not be able to drive their cars if they were under the influence of alcohol.