DUI

A DUI arrest in South Florida can change your life in a single night. From the moment the flashing lights appear, the case is already in motion, and the decisions made in those first hours often shape everything that follows. For drivers in Boca Raton and across Palm Beach and Broward counties, a DUI charge puts real things on the line: your driver's license, your insurance rates, your job, your criminal record, and in some cases your freedom.

What many people do not realize is how quickly the process moves and how much is decided before they ever set foot in a courtroom. That is why steady, experienced criminal defense matters from the start. Mr. Mead has spent more than three decades defending DUI cases throughout South Florida, and he brings that experience to every stop, every test, and every report that becomes part of your case.

Understanding DUI charges in Florida

Under Florida law, a DUI generally involves driving or being in actual physical control of a vehicle while impaired by alcohol, drugs, or a combination of the two, or while a person's blood or breath alcohol level meets the threshold the state sets. Impairment can be alleged even when a driver feels fine, because officers rely on their own observations, roadside exercises, and chemical testing to build the case.

Because a DUI touches both the criminal courts and the state's driver-licensing system, a single arrest can move down two separate tracks at once. Each track has its own rules, its own deadlines, and its own consequences, and understanding how they fit together is an important part of protecting your rights.

Penalties and what is at stake

The consequences of a DUI conviction in Florida vary widely depending on the facts of the case and a driver's prior record. Depending on the circumstances, a case can carry fines and court costs, license suspension, probation, community service, vehicle-related requirements, and the possibility of jail. Beyond the penalties a court imposes, a DUI on your record can raise insurance costs, complicate employment and professional licensing, and follow you for years. Because so much rides on the specific details, no two cases should be treated the same.

How Mr. Mead defends DUI cases

Many DUI cases turn on procedure. Whether the stop was lawful, how the testing was administered, and whether your rights were respected can each change the result. Mr. Mead reviews the case from the ground up, looking closely at how the evidence was gathered and whether the state can actually prove what it has alleged. Common angles in a DUI defense include:

• Whether the traffic stop and the arrest were supported by lawful grounds
• How the breath, blood, or field sobriety testing was administered and recorded
• Whether the breath-testing instrument was properly maintained, calibrated, and operated
• Whether medical conditions, fatigue, or other factors could explain the observations
• Whether your constitutional rights were honored throughout the stop and arrest
• Whether the reports and the officer's account are consistent with the recorded evidence

Why early action matters

DUI cases reward quick, careful attention. Evidence such as video, maintenance logs, and witness memories can fade or disappear, and there are firm deadlines tied to your driver's license that can pass before a first court date is ever set. Getting counsel involved early gives Mr. Mead the chance to preserve what matters, address the license side of the case, and start building your defense before the state's case hardens. If you or someone you love is facing a DUI in South Florida, a confidential phone call to (561) 362-6677 is a sound first step.

Questions clients ask about DUI

Right after the arrest

• The order of events, from release to arraignment: what happens after a DUI arrest in Florida.
• The steps to take before the first court date: what to do in the first week after a DUI arrest.
• The car, from the tow to the court-ordered impound: what happens to your car after a Florida DUI.
• Visiting from another state or country: what happens to a home-state license after a Florida DUI.

Your license

• The license deadline that starts at the arrest: how to keep your license within 10 days of a DUI arrest.
• The license hearing itself: what happens at a DUI formal review hearing.
• Driving to work during a suspension: a hardship or business-purposes license after a DUI.
• Who needs the breath device on the car, and for how long: ignition interlock after a Florida DUI.
• The insurance step at reinstatement: FR-44 insurance after a Florida DUI.

Breath, blood and drug testing

• How the breath machine and the officer must do it: Florida breath test rules.
• The 2025 change that made a first refusal a crime: what happens if you refused the breath test.
• Blood draws at the hospital or after a serious crash: can police take your blood after a DUI crash.
• Marijuana, medication and other drugs: a DUI for marijuana or prescription drugs.

Charges and penalties

• The fines, jail, interlock and revocation ranges: Florida DUI penalties by offense.
• When there was a crash: how damage or injury changes a DUI charge.
• When someone died: DUI manslaughter and its sentence.
• Drivers under 21: the 0.02 rule and the on-the-spot suspension.
• The whole bill, beyond the fine: how much a DUI costs in Florida.

How a case can end, and what follows

• Whether the charge can come down: can a DUI be reduced to reckless driving.
• The local program for some first-time drivers: the Palm Beach County first-time DUI program.
• Where to take the course: DUI school in Palm Beach and Broward County.
• The record afterward: can a DUI be sealed or expunged in Florida.

Serving Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade and Martin counties

The office is in Boca Raton. Local police, courthouse and license-office details are on the Boca Raton DUI and criminal defense page, and the county courts, jails and programs on our Palm Beach County and Broward County pages.

• Right after an arrest: the Palm Beach County jail and first appearance on Gun Club Road, or the Broward Central Courthouse and Main Jail.
• For a DUI court date in south Palm Beach County: what to expect at the South County Courthouse in Delray Beach.
• Palm Beach County cities: Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, West Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens and Jupiter.
• Broward County cities: Fort Lauderdale, Deerfield Beach, Coral Springs and Hollywood.
• Miami-Dade County: DUI and criminal cases in Miami-Dade County. Bond hearings there are covered in what to expect at the Gerstein Justice Building.
• Martin County: DUI and criminal cases in Martin County. Court dates there are at the Martin County Courthouse in Stuart.

Watch: Charlie Mead on DUI defense

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