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Money from criminal traffic cases now goes to the county. Tampa lost almost $1-million.: "The money stopped coming more than a year ago, but many Florida cities are just figuring it out.
Tens of millions of dollars in fines from DUI and criminal traffic cases that once went to cities and towns go to county clerks instead. It's a result of 2004 legislation that put the state in charge of running Florida's courts.

The significant losses have prompted some city officials to question whether expensive and time-consuming DUI patrols can continue as a high priority without revenue to pay for them. 'In theory, we are going to still enforce DUI laws, but it does send a message that maybe it's not as important,' said Clearwater City Council member Bill Jonson.

DUI enforcement "takes so much time, so much money, to get nothing in return from it. That's tough," he said. DUI cases are among the most difficult police investigations, Wierzba said. This month, for instance, the Pinellas-Pasco Public Defender's Office will challenge the accuracy of the machines that test the blood-alcohol count of suspected drunken drivers. An average DUI arrest takes three officer hours. Clearwater police made 580 DUI arrests in 2004. Fines in DUI cases can range from $250 to $2,000."

SP Times

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Jeb Bush on DUI Rights: The "Executive Clemency Board has streamlined the clemency process to ensure that those individuals who have served their time and become contributing members of society have their civil rights restored in a fair and timely manner. The board has instituted many rule changes, eliminating certain crimes from the list disqualifying an applicant from applying for restoration of civil rights. For example, it allows restoration of rights without a hearing for offenses such as racketeering and felony DUI convictions that had required a hearing. "

Posted by Jeb Bush

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Labels: dui, dui florida attorney, dui lawyer, florida dui, florida dui lawyer, florida lawyer, Florida Statutes

12/8/2005 - A Law That Might Work To Curb DUIs - Opinion - Chattanoogan.com: "A Law That Might Work To Curb DUIs

It seems that I heard of a new law, or proposed new law, in Florida that addresses drunk driving. If someone is convicted of DWI then his/her license plate on their vehicle will be changed. The first three letters will be 'DUI' followed by the appropriate numbers. If the police see a vehicle on the road with these letters, they are allowed to stop the driver and test them, then and there, for intoxication. Their car license can be taken away and they can be jailed if they are convicted again of DUI. "

baynews9.com: "There is not a cab fare in the world that could ever affect you as emotionally and financially as a DUI or DWI. So, select a designated driver or take a cab. Don't just make the responsible choice for yourself; do it for those law-biding citizens who may fall victim to your poor choices."

DUI Tampa Attorney

baynews9.com - News: "Tips for preventing intoxication and injuries and accidents on our roadways:

Serve a variety of beverages; not everyone drinks alcoholic beverages. In addition to alcohol, serve non-alcoholic fruit punch, soft drinks, coffee, and tea.

Prepare high protein food: cheeses, meats, hard-boiled or deviled eggs, seafood, fresh vegetables. Protein foods slow absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream. But avoid thinking that you can drink more because you're eating protein foods.

Avoid too many crackers and chips; they speed up alcohol entry into the bloodstream and increase the blood alcohol level at a faster rate.

Serve only coffee and tea and non-alcoholic beverages during the last hour of your party. This will allow some of your heavier drinkers an opportunity to eat and reduce their blood alcohol levels.

It is your responsibility to arrange for an intoxicated guest to arrive home safely. Drive him home, call a taxi, or have another guest take him home.

Don't feel bad singling people out to be 'cut off' from the bar. Consider asking them to eat before having more beverages or make them far weaker drinks than they would make themselves.

If you have a guest who is hovering by the bar and emptying the Bacardi bottle, then remove it. "

baynews9.com - News : On the hunt for drivers under the influence: "Refusal to submit to a required breath, urine, or blood test will result in:

At least six and possibly 12 months' suspension of the driver's license
Prosecution for DUI"

baynews9.com - News : On the hunt for drivers under the influence: "Second-time offenders face the following possible, even stricter, punishment:

Mandatory terms of imprisonment
Increased fines and revocation periods
Mandatory attendance of a substance abuse education course"

baynews9.com - News : On the hunt for drivers under the influence: "First-time offenders face the following possible punishment:

A minimum fine of $250
Imprisonment for up to six months
At least 50 hours of community service
At least six months' revocation of the driver's license
Mandatory attendance of a substance abuse education course"

The Arcadia Police Department will conduct DUI enforcement operations during the holidays to identify and arrest impaired drivers as part of Florida's "You Drink and Drive, You Lose" DUI enforcement. "Florida recorded 15 alcohol-related traffic deaths during the official Christmas holiday period last year," said Arcadia City Marshal Charles Lee. "We will do everything in our power to ensure that this holiday season is safer."

The "You Drink and Drive, You Lose" program runs from Saturday through Jan. 1. Law enforcement agencies across Florida are mobilizing to save lives.

In Arcadia, a DUI patrol and checkpoint is scheduled for Dec. 16 and 17, Dec. 23 and 24 and Dec. 30 and 31. The checkpoint will begin at 8 p.m. and end at 2 p.m. It will take place near State Road 70 and Parker Avenue. Additional operations may be scheduled.

DUI Arcadia FL

"CRYSTAL RIVER - The Police Department will participate in a national program to combat drunken driving Saturday through Jan. 1. The department received a $78,000 grant from the Florida Department of Transportation to address alcohol-involved crashes, which make up about 15 percent of the crashes in the city. This year, Crystal River has investigated one alcohol-related fatality. 'We are committed to making sure Crystal River citizens can enjoy the holiday season without the trauma of a fatality crash,' police Chief Steven Burch stated. The department will conduct a DUI saturation patrol Dec. 16, as well as deploy additional officers on New Year's Eve."

DUI Lawyer Crystal River

Wednesday, December 07, 2005

"A heated battle in Seminole over DUI evidence, a state attorney seeks changes to the law. . . .

Saying a Seminole County judge has gone too far and is putting the public in danger, State Attorney Norm Wolfinger is pressing Florida legislators to revise the state's drunken-driving law during its five-day special session this week. It was unclear Monday whether anyone would introduce his bill, and Russell Schweiss, a spokesman for Gov. Jeb Bush, said there was virtually no chance the item would be added to the session's agenda. Wolfinger, whose territory covers Seminole and Brevard counties, asked for the change Friday evening, three days after Seminole County Judge Ralph Eriksson threw out all the evidence against a 27-year-old Casselberry man arrested on a drunken-driving charge. That move was the latest and most aggressive by Eriksson, one of four Seminole County judges who since January have thrown out hundreds of breath-alcohol readings, saying Wolfinger's office is withholding evidence. That evidence is the computerized source code at the heart of the Intoxilyzer 5000, the breath-alcohol machine used by every law-enforcement office in the state."

Labels: DUI Tampa

"A heated battle in Seminole over DUI evidence, a state attorney seeks changes to the law. . . .

Saying a Seminole County judge has gone too far and is putting the public in danger, State Attorney Norm Wolfinger is pressing Florida legislators to revise the state's drunken-driving law during its five-day special session this week. It was unclear Monday whether anyone would introduce his bill, and Russell Schweiss, a spokesman for Gov. Jeb Bush, said there was virtually no chance the item would be added to the session's agenda. Wolfinger, whose territory covers Seminole and Brevard counties, asked for the change Friday evening, three days after Seminole County Judge Ralph Eriksson threw out all the evidence against a 27-year-old Casselberry man arrested on a drunken-driving charge. That move was the latest and most aggressive by Eriksson, one of four Seminole County judges who since January have thrown out hundreds of breath-alcohol readings, saying Wolfinger's office is withholding evidence. That evidence is the computerized source code at the heart of the Intoxilyzer 5000, the breath-alcohol machine used by every law-enforcement office in the state."

DUI Tampa

"The sponsor of the Pink Tag for DUI drivers is an interesting character. He sponsored a bill that required all public school classroom American flags to be a certain size, even though most already had different dimensions, and then didn't give any funding to actually purchase them. Be thankful he isn't our president; if he were, he would probably order all stop signs to be changed to square-shaped (honestly, who likes a square)? and make everyone wear a nametag to increase flirt-ability among his constituents, only he wouldn't pay for the metal or birth control pills, respectively."

The Knight News

"In Florida, about 840,000 drivers have DUI convictions on the driving records."

Central Kentucky News-Journal

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