A DUI charge can apply to driving with a blood alcohol content of .08% or higher, or while impaired by illegal or prescription drugs — and even a first-time offender can face jail time. Field sobriety tests are designed to be hard to pass, and Florida DUI convictions can carry penalties from 30 days in jail up to 5 years in prison, with far more severe charges (including DUI Vehicular Manslaughter, up to 30 years) when injury or death is involved. An arrest does not always mean a conviction — but you have only 10 days from arrest to request an administrative hearing for hardship driving privileges, so timing matters.