A past DUI arrest has come back to haunt a candidate seeking to head Florida's Republican Party, according to the Huffington Post.
There is no question the increasing stigma associated with drunk driving has made it more important than ever before to fight a DUI arrest. Fort Lauderdale drunk driving defense lawyers frequently deal with clients concerned about the immediate ramifications of job loss, loss of a driver's license or jail time. But being forced to disclose a DUI conviction on future job applications is another reason worth fighting a charge. And lawmakers continue to change the rules, toughening the penalty for repeat offenses, adding penalties like ignition interlock devices, and even discussing the lowering of the .08 legal threshold.
In this case, Deborah Cox-Roush is seeking to become the next chair of Florida's Republican Party but is now been forced to repeatedly explain the circumstances of a 2004 drunk driving conviction.
Currently the chairwoman of the Hillsborough County Republican Party, she is trying to limit the damage by releasing a letter regarding the incident. She claims she was headed home from the St. Pete Times Forum, where she watched the Tampa Bay Lightning win the Stanley Cup, when she was stopped at a DUI checkpoint by Tampa police. Police records indicate she tested .163, more than twice the legal limit of .08.
The letter then attempts to deflect the issue. There is no word on whether she spent as much time fighting the charge at the time of arrest. Charges stemming from sobriety checkpoints are among the most beatable, particularly for first-time offenders.
The Miami Herald reported this week that Cox-Roush lost to David Bitner, who was selected this week as Florida's GOP chair.
Fort Lauderdale DUI Attorney Carlos Canet is an aggressive and experienced drunk driving defense attorney, representing clients facing DUI charges in Fort Lauderdale, Miami and West Palm Beach. Call 866-7ASKDUI to discuss your rights.
