Some Things to Know About DUI in Florida

One of the most popular things I’m asked about when people learn I am a criminal defense attorney is DUI (driving under the influence).   I’ve listed a couple of the most common questions and tried to answer them to the best of my ability.  Keep in mind that DUI is a very complex area of criminal law, and can make even some of the most seasoned criminal defense attorneys cringe.  So here are the questions and responses in no particular order:

1) “So what is considered DUI anyway?”

For starters, it’s a lot more than drunk driving.  The law in Florida defines the crime of DUI as operating a vehicle or being in actual physical control of the vehicle while affected by either alcohol, or a drug to the extent that one’s normal faculties are impaired.  That definition is a lot broader than you might think upon first glance.  First, let’s take the definition of “vehicle.”  You’re probably thinking of a car, van, or motorcycle, right?  Turns out, you can be arrested for DUI for riding a bicycle under the influence.  Don’t believe me?  I’ve seen it happen and I’ve defended it.  The statute only says “vehicle”, it doesn’t say “motor vehicle.”

Next, let’s look at what substance can be used to find you “under the influence.”  We usually think of alcohol, but what about things in your medicine cabinet?  You can also be arrested for DUI for being under the influence of something other than alcohol, such as marijuana, sleeping pills, Xanax, or anything that requires a prescription, if it’s found to affect your driving.  This can be a very tricky area to defend against because substances may still be in your system, even though you are no longer under their influence.  A drug test can find the presence of THC (the psychoactive substance found in marijuana) up to 30 days after inhaling the marijuana smoke, even though the person is clearly no longer the influence of the marijuana (i.e. it still shows up in a drug test even though the high is long gone).  The drug tests commonly performed by law enforcement to pin a driver with DUI aren’t going to show the concentration of the drug, and will have no way of showing when the drug was ingested.  They will just show the drug is in the driver’s blood system, and that can be enough to convict a driver of DUI. 

You can also be arrested for DUI if you aren’t driving.  The law allows for people to be arrested and convicted for DUI if they are impaired and are in “actual physical control” of a vehicle.  A lot of factors are weighed to determine whether someone is in actual physical control of a vehicle, such as whether the vehicle is turned on, whether the person is in the driver’s seat, whether the car is capable of even being turned on, etc..  I’ve seen someone arrested for DUI who had a few drinks and then got into his car to “sleep it off” before driving.  He was asleep in the driver’s seat with the keys in the ignition (car was turned off), and the officer knocked on the window to see if the guy was all right, smelled alcohol on his breath when he answered the officer’s questions, and arrested the vehicle occupant (I refuse to use the term “driver” in this instance) for DUI.   To determine whether someone is in actual physical control, some attorneys emphasize location: location of the person in the car, location of the keys, etc..  Some analyze whether the car could have been turned on and driven away by the driver within 10 seconds of waking up.  And others like to emphasize whether the car itself was even operable.  “Actual physical control” needs to be evaluated on a case by case basis, as the definition can vary from one jurisdiction to another, and all circumstances of the arrest must be examined.   Unfortunately, there’s no simple answer that applies to all instances that I can provide here in this blog.

2) “Do I have to take the field sobriety test?”

This is one of the few easy questions to answer.  NO, you do not have to take the field sobriety tests.  The field sobriety “exercises”, as some like to call them, are entirely optional.  The fact that you did not choose to do them during your traffic stop should not be used against you, or even mentioned to the jury, at trial for a DUI (because it is not up to you to prove your innocence, it is up to the State to prove your guilt).  You may be thinking, “but if I’m not drunk, why not just pass the silly tests to avoid being arrested, I can remember my ABCs in my sleep!”  I wish it were true.  But the real truth is that most of the time, the officer has already decided that he/she will arrest you for DUI before you’re even asked to perform the exercises, and now the officer is simply trying to gather as much evidence as possible of your guilt.  I’ve never heard of someone telling me he/she impressed the officer so much that the officer let him/her drive away from the traffic stop with a warning to not swerve so much on the road next time. 

And here’s why: the field sobriety exercises don’t really measure normal functioning, because they don’t ask you to perform normal tasks.  Think about it: do you normally walk heel to toe down a straight line for 10 feet and then turn around on your tip toes and walk heel to toe back?  Of course not, you’d look stupid.  We walk with our feet spaced apart, so we can maintain our balance when we walk and cover more ground.  And we tend to pivot when we turn around, not stand on our toes.  Do we normally stand with one foot raised 6 inches off the ground while we silently count to 30 and then put our foot down when we think we’ve reached 30 seconds?  No, we stand with both legs on the ground.  You could be stone cold sober and not be able to stand on one leg with the other 6 inches off the ground for 30 seconds.  It doesn’t mean you are drunk at all if you put down your foot after 15 seconds.  Why do we rely on activities that force you to perform abnormal tasks in order to measure whether your normal faculties are impaired?  Add the nerves and stress caused by the fact you’ve been pulled over by a cop and asked to stand outside of the car and are under investigation of a crime, and let’s see how well you can keep your balance standing on one leg.   

Clearly, I’m getting a little whipped up about this, and have strayed too far from answering the original question.

3) Can I call my lawyer when I’m pulled over and being investigated for DUI?

No, in Florida, you do not have the right to call your attorney in the middle of a traffic stop for possible DUI.  You do have the right to speak to your attorney before making any statements to police once you are arrested for DUI, with one exception: responding as to whether you will submit to a test of your breath, blood or urine for the presence of alcohol or other substances.

4) Do I have to submit to a breath, blood or urine test?

If you are arrested for DUI and you were either operating or in actual physical control of a motor vehicle, the answer is yes, by law, you are required to submit to the test.  Failure to submit to the test will result in an automatic suspension of your drivers license for 6 months.  If you have previously refused to submit to the test during a DUI investigation, then a subsequent refusal is a separate misdemeanor offense.  The fact that you have refused to submit to a breath, blood or urine test during the investigation can also be used against you in trial and the prosecutor can argue to the jury that you did not take the test because you knew you were guilty.  But wait, you’re saying to yourself, I thought you said I don’t have to prove my innocence!  That’s true, except for the fact that by being in actual control of a motor vehicle or driving, you have already given your implied consent to submit to a test.  If you read the bottom of your Florida driver’s license, you’ll see some print that basically says by operating a motor vehicle, you consent to any sobriety test required by law (breath/drug test….not the field sobriety exercises).  Now, you do not have to submit to the test if you are arrested for DUI and you were riding a bike.  The implied consent only applies to the operation of motor vehicles.  There is no implied consent for vehicles that do not have a motor because you don’t need a driver’s license to operate a vehicle without a motor.  I actually had to argue this point to a prosecutor in front of judge who was clearly exasperated with the prosecutor.

Now, the police can’t actually force you to take the test.  If you refuse, then you have refused and they will explain the consequences I’ve mentioned above (automatic driver’s license suspension, a separate criminal offense if it’s your second time, etc).   And like I said, the prosecutor can argue that you refused because you knew you were guilty.  The decision to take the test is yours, and can have strategic implications either way. 

5) Can I get a DUI conviction taken off of my record?

The sad truth in Florida is no.  If you have been adjudicated guilty (convicted as an adult) of DUI in Florida, you cannot have it sealed or expunged.  If you ever find yourself in the unfortunate position of being accused of DUI, make sure you consult an attorney before appearing in court.


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What Should I Do During a Traffic Stop?

"You're a lawyer, right?  What should I do if I get pulled over by a cop?  Do I have to sign the ticket?  Do I have to get out of the car if the cop asks me to?"  I can't begin to keep track of the number of dinner conversations that begin this way when someone learns what I do for a living.  I can't say I blame them, we've all had those experiences with being pulled over and not being quite sure what to say or do in a traffic stop.  We often think we can talk our way out of a ticket, and just start blabbing away to the cop.  From an attorney's persepective though, talking uncontrollably to the cop is probably one of the worst things you can do.

A traffic stop is a detention by a police officer.  It is intended to be brief and to last no longer than it takes to write out the traffic citation (keep in mind that writing the citation includes checking your proof of insurance and car registration as well as the protocol of running your name through their database to make sure you do not have any warrants for your arrest).  Once the ticket is written and handed to you, there's no reason you should continue to be detained and you should be free to leave.

Here are some brief, helpful tips to keep in mind if you ever find yourself pulled over by the officer:

-When you see the lights or hear the siren behind you and you realize the officer wants to pull you over, you should pull over as soon as it becomes safe to do so.  Sometimes you're on a fast highway and there isn't any space on the side of the road, or it's a dark and poorly lit area and you don't feel safe.  That's fine, just turn on your turn signal and slow down your speed so the officer knows you are aware of his/her intent to pull you over and is assured you intend to do so, then stop at the closest exit or business or residential area.  You don't want the officer to think you intend to flee or engage in a chase, so do what you can to minimize that perception.  Fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer is a crime, so don't do anything like accelerate the car to give the officer reason to arrest you for that once you've been pulled over.

-Remain polite and as calm as you can.  You may be running late or otherwise in a hurry to go somewhere but being argumentative or acting nervous will only raise the officer's suspicions that something else besides an expired tag is going on and you'll be kept on the side of the road longer.

-If the officer asks if he/she can search your car, you should polititely say no.  There's absolutely nothing wrong with saying no and refusing consent to search your car.  A general rule is that police need a warrant to search your car without your consent (there's some exceptions such as the car reaking of burnt marijuana, etc., but I won't go into those exceptions here).  You may be thinking "I have nothing to hide in the car, why not let him search the car and get on his good side?".  Maybe you're right and you have nothing to hide.  However, what if someone who borrowed your car left something behind?  Maybe your mom left her prescription pill bottle in your car when she went to the pharmacy, and if the officer finds a controlled substance in the car and you don't have a prescription for it, then you have a boatload of problems including a felony arrest for possession of a controlled substance.  You may be laughing and thinking that doesn't really happen, but believe me that it does.  I've seen it, and I've defended it.  And why put yourself through that embarrasing arrest and trip to the jail?  When it comes to requests to search the car, I politely tell officers that I have a policy of not allowing anyone to search my car without a warrant.


-Likewise, the police usually need a warrant to search you or your pockets, etc..  So, you have a right to refuse consent to a search of yourself.  This can get tricky because sometimes the line gets blurry between a request and an order from a law enforcement officer.  An officer with a gun on his/her holster saying "place both hands on the hood of your car so I can make sure you don't have any weapons, please" doesn't sound much like a request.  You can ask the officer if that's an order or a request and let the offier know that you do not consent to a search of yourself without a warrant.


- A lot of us keep our proof of insurance and registration in our glove compartments.  A driver suddenly reaching for the glove compartment can make an officer jumpy (he/she doesn't know if you intend to grab a weapon, etc.).  If an officer asks you for your registration and you keep it in the glove compartment, it's a good idea to let the officer know that's where you have your documents before you reach for the glove compartment.  It also means that if you have anything in your car you do not want an officer to see, you should not keep it in the same place you keep your proof of insurance/car registration. For gun owners out there who travel with their guns in the glove compartment, let the officer know you have a permit to carry a concealed firearm and show it to him/her before you open the glvoebox with the gun.  Very few things will make the tension level of a traffic stop skyrocket like the unexpected appearance of a gun.

- There's a misconception out there that signing a traffic ticket admits guilt.  If the cop gives you a ticket and asks for your signature, you must sign it if you want to avoid going to jail. Your signature on the ticket is simply a promise that you will either pay the ticket or appear in court to contest it.  It's not an admission of guilt, and your signature is mandatory.

-Now what if you are riding a bike, can you you be pulled over?  Yes, you can.  Most of the traffic laws also apply to bicyclists as well as motor vehicle drivers.  For purposes of the statutes (i.e. the laws), a bicycle is considered a vehicle, so act accordingly and stop pedaling if an officer is trying to pull you over.


I'll cover DUI traffic stops on another blog post since there's much more involved.


In closing, I wish I could say that traffic stops are pleasant and that all officers are respectful and professional and that you have no reason to worry as long as you follow my tips.  But that's just wishful thinking on my part.  Some officers will frisk you and search your car for no good reason and without your consent because they want to see if they can make a drug bust, or they'll pull you over and accuse you of going 103 mph on the turnpike when you were going 75 mph.  In those situations, be as polite as you can while articulating your lack of consent.  It may result in a bum traffic ticket or being kept on the side of the road for 45 minutes.  But at least you will avoid arrest for not letting the injustice of the situation get to your temper and emotions.  You can dispute the ticket or make a formal complaint against the officer, or any number of remedies after you are allowed to leave.  But you'll spare yourself the arrest, bail money, and expense of hiring a lawyer.

Welcome

Welcome to all of you in the blogosphere reading this.  This blog is intended to be a place where you can find information about all aspects of criminal defense.  Some information will be useful to those who have been arrested, some will be useful to those hoping to avoid arrest, and some will be useful to those practicing in the area of criminal defense.  If you have questions about anything you read in this blog, feel free to respond and comment.  Please note, however, that reading this blog does NOT constitute an attorney-client relationship.  Therefore, you should not respond or comment with things that you would like to be kept confidential.  It's the INTERNET, and what you post on here is accessible to the public.  So don't put anything on here you don't want the public to know.  If you put "I was recently arrested for DUI, and I blew a .20 on the breath test, but I only had 3 shots of tequila before I drove.  What should I do?" Then you have now admitted to having 3 shots of tequila and you have admitted to driving that night.  Not smart.  Don't comment with facts about your own case.  Your comments are not confidential.  Pick up the phone and call our law office at (407) 494-2053 and ask for a consultation.  This blog is not an appropriate place to have a consultation.  Simple enough, right?

Ok, now that the disclaimer is out of the way, I hope you will continue to visit this blog to read up on what's going on in the world of criminal defense and how it can affect you.  Enjoy!