What Is the Penalty for a First DUI Conviction in Florida?

The penalty for a first DUI conviction in Florida is a fine of $500 to $1,000, up to six months in jail, license revocation of 180 days to one year, at least 50 hours of community service, and up to a year of probation.¹ A 10-day vehicle impoundment, mandatory DUI school, and three years of specialized high-limit auto insurance come with it. Penalties climb sharply if your blood alcohol level was 0.15 or higher, a minor was in the car, or anyone was hurt.

What You Actually Pay in Fines and Court Costs

The base fine for a standard first DUI is $500 to $1,000.¹ That number by itself is misleading. Florida adds a stack of mandatory court costs and surcharges on top: a 5% surcharge for the Crimes Compensation Trust Fund, a $135 assessment for crime lab and brain and spinal cord injury programs, a $60 misdemeanor processing fee, and a $15 fee for the County Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Trust Fund. The court can also add a separate charge up to the amount of your fine to fund court-ordered substance abuse programs. Most first-time offenders end up paying well over $1,000 by the time the fines, costs, and surcharges are totaled, and that is before DUI school, insurance, and towing.

Jail Time and Probation

Jail is not automatic for a first offense, but the judge can impose up to six months.¹ Whether any time is ordered depends on your blood alcohol level, whether there was an accident, and your record generally. Many first-time offenders with no aggravating facts avoid jail, but the authority to send you there sits with the judge.

Probation, by contrast, is mandatory. The court places you on probation for up to a year, with the combined total of any jail sentence plus probation capped at one year. You report to a probation officer, pay supervision fees, and stay away from alcohol. A probation violation puts you back in front of the judge facing the original maximum sentence.

Community Service

Every first-time DUI conviction requires at least 50 hours of community service. If completing those hours would create a real hardship because of where you live or your work schedule, the judge can allow you to pay $10 per hour instead.¹ This is not something you can simply elect. The court has to find the hardship first.

Losing Your License: Two Separate Hits

Florida takes your license twice, and most people don’t realize these are two different processes.

The first happens at arrest. Under Florida’s implied consent law, driving in the state means you’ve already agreed to a breath, blood, or urine test if lawfully arrested for DUI. Blow 0.08 or higher and the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) administratively suspends your license for six months. Refuse the test and the suspension is one year.² You have 10 days from arrest to request a review hearing to challenge it. Miss that window and the suspension takes effect automatically.

The second comes at conviction. If the court convicts you, your license is revoked for a minimum of 180 days and up to one year.³ This criminal revocation runs alongside any administrative suspension already in place, so they are not necessarily served back to back. The revocation carries its own reinstatement requirements that have to be satisfied before you get your full license back.

Getting Back on the Road

Before you can regain any driving privileges, you have to finish a state-approved Level 1 DUI program: 12 hours of classroom instruction plus a substance abuse evaluation.⁴ The standardized registration fee is $330.⁵ If the evaluation flags a problem, you may be referred to additional treatment at your own expense.

Once DUI school is done, you can apply to the DHSMV for a hardship reinstatement hearing. If approved, you receive a restricted license allowing you to drive for work, school, medical appointments, and church. The DHSMV charges an administrative reinstatement fee when you restore your full driving privileges.

Vehicle Impoundment

The vehicle you were driving at the time of the offense faces a mandatory 10-day impoundment or immobilization.¹ It cannot overlap with any jail sentence, so if you serve time, the impoundment clock starts when you get out. All towing and storage costs come out of your pocket.

Ignition Interlock Device

An ignition interlock device (IID) is a breathalyzer wired into the ignition. You blow into it, and the engine won’t start unless your sample is alcohol-free. For a standard first offense, the judge has discretion to order an IID but is not required to.⁶ If your blood alcohol level was 0.15 or higher, or you had a passenger under 18, the IID is mandatory for at least six months.⁷

You pay for installation, monthly calibration and data monitoring, and removal. Monthly fees typically run $65 to $75.⁸ Six months at that rate adds roughly $400 to $450 on top of installation and removal charges.

The FR-44 Insurance Requirement

This is the penalty that catches first-time offenders off guard. Florida does not use the SR-22 proof-of-insurance filing that most other states require after a DUI. Florida requires an FR-44 filing, which demands far higher liability coverage. You have to carry at least $100,000 per person and $300,000 per crash for bodily injury, plus $50,000 for property damage.⁹ Florida’s standard minimum liability coverage is $10,000 in personal injury protection and $10,000 in property damage, so the FR-44 figures are a steep jump.

You must maintain the FR-44 filing for three years after your conviction.¹⁰ Because insurers price DUI offenders as high-risk drivers, premiums rise substantially. The combination of higher required limits and a DUI on your driving record can double or triple your annual insurance costs for the full three years. Letting the FR-44 lapse triggers another license suspension.

When the Penalties Get Worse

Aggravating facts push a first DUI into harsher territory.

BAC of 0.15 or higher, or a minor in the vehicle: the fine range increases to $1,000 to $2,000, maximum jail time extends to nine months, and the IID becomes mandatory for at least six months.¹
Property damage or non-serious personal injury: the charge becomes a first-degree misdemeanor carrying up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.²
Serious bodily injury: the charge becomes a third-degree felony carrying up to five years in prison.

Long-Term Consequences Beyond the Courtroom

A first DUI conviction in Florida creates a permanent criminal record. Unlike many other misdemeanors, DUI convictions in Florida cannot be sealed or expunged. The conviction appears on background checks indefinitely and can affect job applications, housing, professional licensing, and educational opportunities. Florida licensing boards for healthcare, education, and other regulated professions routinely ask about criminal history, and a DUI may trigger review or disciplinary proceedings depending on the field.

Commercial drivers face a sharper consequence. Federal law requires disqualification from operating a commercial motor vehicle for at least one year after a first alcohol-related driving offense, even if you were driving your personal car when arrested.¹¹ If your livelihood depends on a CDL, a single DUI can sideline that career for a year or more.

Travel can get complicated too. Canada treats DUI as a serious criminal offense and may deny entry to anyone with a conviction. Getting in generally requires showing enough time has passed to be considered rehabilitated, applying for formal rehabilitation status, or obtaining a temporary resident permit.¹² A DUI conviction also makes you ineligible for Global Entry; U.S. Customs and Border Protection lists DUI among the disqualifying offenses.¹³

1
Official Internet Site of the Florida Legislature. Florida Code 316.193 – Driving Under the Influence; Penalties
2
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Florida DUI and Administrative Suspension Laws
3
The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 322.28 – Period of Revocation or Disqualification
4
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Licensed DUI Programs in Florida
5
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. DUI Program Service Fees
6
The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 316.1937 – Ignition Interlock Devices, Requiring; Unlawful Acts
7
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Ignition Interlock Device (IID) Frequently Asked Questions
8
Florida Safety Council. Ignition Interlock Device
9
The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 324.023 – Financial Responsibility for Bodily Injury or Death
10
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. FR-44 Financial Responsibility Bulletin
11
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 49 USC 31310 – Disqualifications
12
U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Entering Canada and the United States with DUI Offenses
13
U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Eligibility for Global Entry