Ft. Lauderdale DUI License Suspension

If you have been charged with a DUI offense, you might be thinking about the possibility of serving jail time or having to pay exorbitant fines. People often do not realize that they face Ft. Lauderdale DUI license suspension as well. Losing your license can complicate your commute and make basic tasks like grocery shopping extremely difficult. A compassionate traffic attorney will understand and could work tirelessly in pursuit of a positive outcome for you.

Causes of License Suspension in Ft. Lauderdale

A common cause for a suspension or revocation in Ft. Lauderdale would be any type of driver’s license action as a result of a DUI arrest or conviction. If an individual gets arrested and they either take the breath test and fail (blow over the legal limit), or they are requested by a law enforcement officer to take a breath test or urine test and they refuse, they face a license suspension from the date of their arrest. If that individual is ultimately convicted of the charge of DUI, they would face a court suspension for a DUI conviction for a minimum period of six months. Another common reason for suspensions is failure to pay child support.

Two Types of License Suspensions

There are two different types of DUI suspensions in Florida. One is called an administrative suspension which basically derives from or starts as the result of a DUI arrest. There are a few ways a driver’s license can be suspended by a police officer after a DUI arrest.

If a law enforcement officer requests an individual to submit to a breathalyzer to test their blood alcohol level post-arrest and they fail (the breathalyzer registers an amount above the legal limit of 0.08), the police officer would issue them a DUI citation, take possession of their driver’s license, and issue them an administrative suspension at the scene.

Another second common way that a driver’s license is suspended in a DUI case in Ft. Lauderdale is after the court case is resolved and an individual receives a criminal conviction for the offense of DUI, the court is required to issue a judicial suspension or a suspension as a result of a DUI conviction for a minimum period of six months if it is their first offense.

Impact of Prior Offenses on a Suspension

If the individual who is facing a DUI has prior offenses on their record, they would face longer periods of license suspension which would depend upon how long ago their prior DUI offense(s) was. If an individual has two DUI convictions within a five-year period, those two cases in and of themselves would trigger the habitual designation and they would lose their driver’s license for a period of five years.

Hardship Licences

For a five-year suspension (in most cases), the Department of Motor Vehicles will consider an individual’s application for a hardship license. A hardship license is a driver’s license to drive to and from employment, school, medical appointments and religious purposes after the expiration of the first 12 months. The first 12 months of a five-year suspension of a driver’s license by the State of Florida’s Department of Motor Vehicles states that an individual is not allowed to drive at all. For the remaining four years, an individual can apply for a hardship license through the Department of Motor Vehicles. This obviously assumes that they have not driven within that first 12-month suspension period because that would disqualify them from obtaining the hardship license for the remaining four years. If an individual wants to pursue a hardship license or has any questions about Ft. Lauderdale DUI license suspension they should consult a knowledgeable traffic attorney that can help.