baynews9.com - News : On the hunt for drivers under the influence: "Florida's DUI law is considered to be one of the nation's toughest laws against impaired driving."
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DUI Tampa - DUI Means Expulsion from U of Florida
Got DUI - Get Expelled: "UF looks beyond campus for DUI cases - They may try to hide it from Mom and Dad, but University of Florida students caught driving drunk in Alachua County won't be able to hide it from UF administrators. This month, UF began regularly monitoring off-campus DUI convictions. Students convicted of DUI in the county won't just face criminal courts, they'll go before UF's Office of Student Judicial Affairs, where they could face suspension or expulsion.
Student Judicial Affairs already hears between 30 and 40 on-campus DUI cases each year. But that number will likely go up now that UF is looking beyond its borders, said Eugene Zdziarski, UF's dean of students. First-time offenders in the system are typically suspended from school for a year, Zdziarski said. Repeat offenders, however, can face expulsion, he said."
Student Judicial Affairs already hears between 30 and 40 on-campus DUI cases each year. But that number will likely go up now that UF is looking beyond its borders, said Eugene Zdziarski, UF's dean of students. First-time offenders in the system are typically suspended from school for a year, Zdziarski said. Repeat offenders, however, can face expulsion, he said."
Fourth DUI 2 Years in Prison
Bill goes after four-time drunken drivers, boaters
By Michael C. Bender
PBP Staff Writer
Florida would have one of the nation's toughest laws to convict repeat drunken drivers and boaters under a bill scheduled for its first committee hearing this week.
"By the time you get to a fourth offense, you've had three opportunities to get rehabilitation and move forward," said state Rep. Gayle Harrell, R-Stuart, who introduced the legislation. "When you get to your fourth, you've really passed the point where we can have any patience." Under the bill, a fourth offense of driving or boating under the influence would result in a two-year minimum jail sentence. The toughest minimum sentence in the country for a fourth DUI is one year, which is the law in six states, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
In Florida, there is no minimum sentence for a first drunken-driving offense. Two-time offenders get at least 10 days in jail, while three or more convictions result in at least 30-day sentences. The offenses must happen within 10 years of one another to result in minimum sentences."
By Michael C. Bender
PBP Staff Writer
Florida would have one of the nation's toughest laws to convict repeat drunken drivers and boaters under a bill scheduled for its first committee hearing this week.
"By the time you get to a fourth offense, you've had three opportunities to get rehabilitation and move forward," said state Rep. Gayle Harrell, R-Stuart, who introduced the legislation. "When you get to your fourth, you've really passed the point where we can have any patience." Under the bill, a fourth offense of driving or boating under the influence would result in a two-year minimum jail sentence. The toughest minimum sentence in the country for a fourth DUI is one year, which is the law in six states, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
In Florida, there is no minimum sentence for a first drunken-driving offense. Two-time offenders get at least 10 days in jail, while three or more convictions result in at least 30-day sentences. The offenses must happen within 10 years of one another to result in minimum sentences."
Tampa DUI - 37 Percent Refuse Test
State drunken driving test laws glance: "Every state except Nevada suspends a driver's license for refusing a breath or blood test after being stopped on suspicion of drunken driving. South Dakota does not suspend the license of a person who refuses to take the test in the field but does if the motorist is arrested and still refuses. With three new laws passed in 2005, 19 states now add civil or criminal penalties ranging from fines to jail time.
Here are the penalties, plus the 2001 percentage of drivers who refused the tests in those states:
-Alaska: Minimum $250 fine and 72 hours jail for first offense; increases to $4,000-$5,000 and one year for sixth. 17 percent.
-Arkansas: Minimum $100 fine for first offense; increases to $500-$2,000 and 60 days community service for third. 21 percent.
-California: Minimum $390 fine and 48 hours jail for first offense if there's a prior DUI conviction; increases to 18 days for fourth. 5 percent.
-Delaware: Vehicle impounded 90 days for first offense, one year for a second. 15 percent.
-Florida: $1,000 fine and one year in jail for second offense. 37 percent."
Here are the penalties, plus the 2001 percentage of drivers who refused the tests in those states:
-Alaska: Minimum $250 fine and 72 hours jail for first offense; increases to $4,000-$5,000 and one year for sixth. 17 percent.
-Arkansas: Minimum $100 fine for first offense; increases to $500-$2,000 and 60 days community service for third. 21 percent.
-California: Minimum $390 fine and 48 hours jail for first offense if there's a prior DUI conviction; increases to 18 days for fourth. 5 percent.
-Delaware: Vehicle impounded 90 days for first offense, one year for a second. 15 percent.
-Florida: $1,000 fine and one year in jail for second offense. 37 percent."
DUI Florida Woman trying to make amends for fatal DUI crash
"Every morning, Jessica Leslie thinks about the man she killed. She spends the rest of the day trying to forgive herself. It's been eight months since she left prison, but for the rest of her life she'll be branded: Felon. Youthful offender. Danger to society. Killer. For the rest of her life, she'll be haunted by the sight of that arm around the left front tire of her Toyota Celica. Four years ago, Leslie was celebrating her plans to join the U.S. Air Force. Now she stands in front of 250 strangers and explains how she went from being vice president of Students Against Drunk Driving in high school to pleading guilty to DUI manslaughter.
'I had two beers and two shots,' she said."
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'I had two beers and two shots,' she said."
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DUI Pinellas Wolfpack
"'Wolf Pack' to prowl this weekend - Deputies with the Pinellas County Sheriff's Department 'DUI Wolf-Pack' will be on the hunt Friday and Saturday as part of the 'You Drink and Drive. You Lose' program. The countywide DUI Enforcement detail is in conjunction with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration DUI Sustained Enforcement Program - 'You Drink and Drive. You Lose.' The Traffic Enforcement Unit, DUI Enforcement Unit, Community Police Unit and K-9 Unit will participate in the weekend event."
DUI Tampa Sobriety Test Controversy
Divide is growing over roadside sobriety tests: "Divide is growing over roadside sobriety tests - Standards have police, scientists, lawyers at odds.
Heels together. Toes out. Hands at your sides. Raise the leg of your choice in front of you, 6 inches off the ground, leg straight, toe pointed. Keep your eyes on your raised toe and begin counting aloud from 1,001 until I say stop . . . Some night on the side of the road, police lights flashing behind you, your freedom may depend on how well you do this.
Did you sway? Raise your arms for balance? Hop, or put your foot down? If you did any two, an officer will conclude with 65 percent accuracy, as stipulated in the prevailing science, that you may be too drunk to drive. . . . The NHTSA says officers using scores from all three tests will be 91 percent accurate in making an arrest. But in a case that made nationwide last year, an officer in Washington arrested attorney Debra Bolton after determining she failed all three. Bolton, who had had a glass of wine with dinner, challenged the charges. They were dropped."
Heels together. Toes out. Hands at your sides. Raise the leg of your choice in front of you, 6 inches off the ground, leg straight, toe pointed. Keep your eyes on your raised toe and begin counting aloud from 1,001 until I say stop . . . Some night on the side of the road, police lights flashing behind you, your freedom may depend on how well you do this.
Did you sway? Raise your arms for balance? Hop, or put your foot down? If you did any two, an officer will conclude with 65 percent accuracy, as stipulated in the prevailing science, that you may be too drunk to drive. . . . The NHTSA says officers using scores from all three tests will be 91 percent accurate in making an arrest. But in a case that made nationwide last year, an officer in Washington arrested attorney Debra Bolton after determining she failed all three. Bolton, who had had a glass of wine with dinner, challenged the charges. They were dropped."
Tampa Hillsborough: DUI Campaign Focuses on Bars
TAMPA - The Green Iguana Bar & Grill near the Veterans Expressway has three bars and room for a few hundred patrons. Open less than a year, its tropical island decor evokes spring break. Every weeknight from 5 to 7, patrons can buy Captain Morgan, Jim Beam and Smirnoff vodka drinks for $2 each. Wednesday is 'Dollar Drink Night.' Thirty-five times since April, people arrested by Hillsborough sheriff's deputies for DUI driving under the influence have said the Green Iguana is where they last drank before getting behind the wheel."
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