Polk County DUI Attorney Blog

Law enforcement agencies in and around Polk County are stepping up their patrols in what is called Operation Full Force. This operation is focused on saturating deputy patrols looking for drunk drivers, sexual predators and juvenile offenders. With school back in session, Polk County law enforcement is trying to create a community check-up. Three weeks ago, a similar operation arrested 8 individuals with 2 drunk drivers.

Police agencies are also trying to send a message to parents that they need to be responsible for the well being of their children by educating them on the dangers of drunk driving. Traffic accidents are the number 1 killer of young people ages 15 to 20 years old. In 2005, 7460 youth drivers and passengers had been killed in a traffic related accident. Over 28% of those crashes involved alcohol.

The commonality of underage drinking is staggering. Within the past month, 28% of high school students reported that they have accepted a ride from a driver under the influence of alcohol, on at least one occasion. According to SADD, Students against Drunk Driving, statistics show that young people are less likely to use their seatbelts after drinking. Over 74% of the teens killed in car crashes in 2005 were not buckled in.

In Florida, the maximum legal limit for blood alcohol content is .08. However, the public does not understand how many drinks it would take for a driver to become legally impaired. The rate of an individual becoming intoxicated can be compared to a mathematical formula depending on the size, sex, amount of alcohol consumed, and amount of food and sleep intake during the day, including the overall health of the drinker.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration equates one drink to 1/2 ounce or exactly .54 ounces of alcohol. One drink is considered a shot of distilled alcohol, a five ounce glass of wine or a twelve ounce beer. For each thirty to forty minutes of drinking, the human body burns off .01 of its blood alcohol content.

A Polk County resident has found his second chance in life. An admitted alcoholic and native of Winter Haven, 68-year old Eddie Lee, is running for Florida Kiwanis treasurer. A drinker for over 20 years, he never had problems with the law. That soon changed. Lee had been arrested and convicted of the crime of driving under the influence. A once prominent community figure had hit rock bottom.

Lee explained that he lost his license and faced criminal penalties for his DUI conviction. This difficult time in his life sent him into a self described downward spiral. He struggled with alcohol dependency and eventually became homeless for five years.

Lee is proud that he has moved past the days of drinking and criminal charges of DUI. He volunteers with several charities around the Polk County area and has most recently been nominated for the Florida Kiwanis Club treasurer.