Polk County DUI Attorney Blog

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.

Police charge a Zephyrhills driver with multiple alcohol related offenses after allegedly colliding with a police cruiser. The driver, 27-year old Alex Rodriguez, collided head on with Detective Brian Felts while he was on his way into work. Detective Felts chased Rodriguez's car on foot for over a quarter of a mile before the vehicle finally came to a stop.

An ambulance transported Rodriguez to Florida Hospital where he submitted to a breathalyzer test over three hours after the accident. The defendant blew 0.113, well above the legal limit of .08. Rodriguez now faces charges of DUI, knowingly driving on a suspended or revoked license, DUI causing damage to property and person and leaving the scene of an accident that caused injury. He has been denied bond and is currently awaiting trial within the Land O' Lakes Jail.

As a general rule it takes the human body around one hour to process one alcoholic beverage. Rodriguez submitted his breathalyzer test over three hours after the crash had taken place and his blood alcohol limit was still well over the legal limit of 0.08. There are many factors that contribute to the level of the blood alcohol content beyond alcohol consumption. Size, gender, the amount of sleep and food intake all impact a consumer's blood alcohol level.