In addition to the potential for jail time and other consequences of a DUI conviction, you must consider the financial cost of a DUI charge. You may be required to pay a large fine, higher insurance rates, court costs, probation costs, costs of DUI school, interlock device fees, and other costs associated with a drunk driving charge. When deciding whether to hire an attorney, it helps to understand what a DUI will cost with and without an attorney by your side.

WHAT WILL I PAY FOR A DUI CONVICTION?

The fees and costs you pay for a DUI conviction begin with your fines, court fees, and other costs payable to court agencies, schools, or companies providing services required by the judge as part of your sentence.

Depending on your charges, you can pay between $500 and $4,000 for fines alone.  You must add to that amount the increase in your insurance rates, which could be up to 50 percent more, and then court costs, fees, and other costs related to your sentence. After taking into consideration the factors in your case, your total real life costs for a DUI conviction could be anywhere between a $4,000 and $12,000. Remember, insurance premiums will remain at an increased rate for several years after your DUI conviction.

Now consider the cost of legal fees for hiring a highly skilled and experienced Florida DUI defense attorney. You can hire an experienced drunk driving attorney for around $2,500. By hiring legal counsel, you increase your chance of minimizing the fines and other costs associated with a DUI conviction. You also have the chance to have your case dismissed, or the charges decreased based on the evidence your attorney identifies during his independent DUI arrest investigation.

Let’s compare the potential legal feels versus real time costs of a DUI conviction. An attorney may charge you $2,500 plus costs (maybe another $500 at most) versus $4,000 to $12,000 or more in real life costs. The real-life cost could increase even more if you are charged with multiple DUI offenses or felony DUI charges and you miss work due to a DUI conviction.

FINES AND FEES FOR FLORIDA DUI CONVICTIONS

The “fees” (not fines) for a DUI conviction remain relatively the same regardless of the charge. An example of the fees you pay if you are convicted of a driving under the influence charge in Florida include:

• $500 Court Costs
• $300 DUI School
• $200 Alcohol Evaluation, Treatment, and Counseling
• $500 Community Service
• $550 to $1,900 Ignition Interlock Device
• $100 to $400 Vehicle Impoundment
• $350 Work Purposes Driver’s License

However, the fine for a DUI conviction depends on the charge.

Fines based on the DUI offense with a BAC less than 0.15:

• DUI First Conviction $500 to $1,000
• DUI Second Conviction $1,000 to $2,000
• DUI Third Conviction $2,000 to $5,000
• Fourth and Subsequent DUI Convictions $2,000 and up.

Fines based on the DUI offense with a BAC greater than 0.15:

• DUI First Conviction $1,000 to $2,000
• DUI Second Conviction $2,000 to $4,000
• DUI Third Conviction $4,000 to $5,000
• Fourth and Subsequent DUI Convictions $2,000 and up.

In addition to DUI charges, there are other alcohol-impaired charges that carry fines. Examples include:

• DUI Misdemeanor (accident involving property damage or personal injury) — up to $1,000 or 1 year in prison
• DUI Felony (repeat offenders and accidents resulting in serious bodily injury) — $5,000 and up to 5 years in prison
• DUI/Manslaughter — up to $10,000 and up to 15 years in prison
• DUI Manslaughter/Leaving the Scene — up to $10,000 and up to 30 years in prison
• Vehicular Homicide — up to $10,000 and 15 years in prison
• Vehicular Homicide/Leaving the Scene — up to $10,000 and up to 30 years in prison

CALL AN EXPERIENCED LAKE CITY DUI DEFENSE ATTORNEY

The consequences of a DUI conviction can be extremely severe in terms of fines, fees, costs, and prison or jail time. You should not risk representing yourself. The cost of hiring an experienced, highly-skilled, trained DUI defense attorney is far less compared to the potential cost you face by representing yourself.

Our DUI defense attorneys represent clients throughout the Lake City, Live Oak, and Gainesville areas. Contact the Koberlein Law Offices by calling our Lake City office at 386-269-9802 or our Gainesville office at 352-519-4357 to schedule a free consultation. You may also contact our office by using the contact form on our website.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR