Driving under the influence (DUI) charges are some of the most common criminal infractions in Florida. People get arrested for impaired driving every day. Often, these are victimless offenses. The arrested driver did not cause property damage or injury to others. Instead, police officers simply allege that they failed a breath test or otherwise displayed impairment while driving.
Sometimes, those accused of a DUI offense choose to plead guilty, especially if they don’t have prior criminal charges on their record. People assume that the courts may treat them leniently for a minor offense where no one got hurt. They may fail to consider that there could be secondary consequences to a DUI conviction, like career setbacks.
Will an individual convicted of a DUI in Florida lose their job?
Job loss can occur after criminal convictions
Every employment arrangement is unique, and therefore there is no one answer that is accurate in every case. However, some employers in Florida have zero-tolerance policies for criminal offenses in their employment contracts. Their agreements with workers allow them to terminate individuals convicted of a criminal offense during their employment. Florida is an at-will employment state, so companies can fire workers for a variety of reasons.
Even if a company does not immediately fire someone after their conviction, a worker could lose out on future opportunities. Many companies hiring new workers or promoting existing ones perform background checks and may consider a criminal record along with other factors when deciding who to hire or promote.
In some scenarios, a company may have no choice but to let a worker go because their incarceration or license suspension would prevent them from doing their job for an unreasonable amount of time. Other times, it may be licensing consequences that lead to job loss.
Someone subject to a license suspension cannot drive themselves to work, so they may rely on others or public transportation. That situation can easily lead to a worker missing multiple days of work or repeatedly showing up late. Companies can and do terminate workers who do not have reliable transportation. Additionally, losing one’s job on the heels of a criminal conviction could lead to difficulty obtaining gainful employment in the future.
Those worried about their ability to support themselves and their families after a DUI arrest may want to consider their options for defending against those charges. Avoiding a conviction can eliminate the worst penalties people sometimes suffer because of drunk driving charges.