In all states, including Florida, it is considered a “privilege,” not a right, to drive on the public roadways. In Florida, once you obtain your driver’s license, you can maintain it as long as you do what’s required of you. However, your license can be suspended or revoked for a number of reasons, including but not limited to:
- You fail to appear at a traffic summons.
- You fail to pay a fine for a traffic ticket.
- You fall too far behind on child support.
- You fail to complete a court-ordered driver improvement school.
- You have a mental or medical condition that makes you incapable of safely operating a motor vehicle.
- You accumulate too many points on your driving record; for example, 24 points within 36 months results in a one-year suspension.
- You have a non-DUI violation that results in serious bodily injury or death.
- You obtained a fraudulent driver’s license.
- Your vision is not good enough to drive.
- You are named a Florida habitual traffic offender (5-year license revocation).
- You are convicted of driving under the influence under Section 316.193 of the Florida Statutes.
While there are numerous reasons why a Florida driver’s license can be suspended or revoked, I am going to concentrate this article on the license suspension period for a first DUI in Florida.
DUI License Revocations in Florida
In all states, the penalties for driving under the influence (DUI) increase with each subsequent offense, and this includes the license revocation periods. If you are facing charges for your first DUI and you were convicted, your driver’s license would be revoked for 180 days to one year assuming you did not cause any bodily injury. If you hurt someone as a direct result of driving under the influence, your Florida driver’s license would be revoked for a minimum of three years.
Do I Qualify for the Back on Track Program?
If you are facing DUI charges for the first time in Miami-Dade County and you’re concerned about your driver license being revoked, I highly recommend finding out if you qualify for the Back on Track program.
In order to qualify for DUI diversion, this has to be your first DUI arrest, and you cannot have caused injury. There must have not been any minor children in your vehicle, you must have not caused an accident, and there must have not been any open containers of alcohol in your vehicle. Contact me today to learn more!