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Proposed changes to DUI arrests statute could very well effect you! Heads Up Florida!

Some Florida legislators have proposed an amendment to FS 901.15 that governs when the police can arrest a citizen for a misdemeanor offense without a warrant! This could very well effect you!

With limited exceptions (mostly relating to domestic violence, firearms offenses, and sexual offenses), the law now requires the police to witness the misdemeanor offense before they can arrest without a warrant. House Bill 793 proposes to amend the statute to add Driving Under The Influence to list of offenses for which the police can arrest without a warrant. Many people may say "Ok--Dui is serious enough that the police should be allowed to arrest without seeing the offense committed". Most of us are not in favor of DUI's right? Consider this scenario: (please follow link to read the scenario on our library section)

(Please read above linked scenario first) Does this sound far fetched? Don't bet your clean criminal record or a night in jail on it! These are the type of changes in the law that most people think will "never effect me". The government (you know, those people you elected) is experienced enough and smart enough to know that they can't take our rights in big chunks. They have to do it one small piece at a time because they know most of us will let them! If it's just a small bite that doesn't hurt and "it won't effect me anyway", why should I care enough to stand up and say "NO, you can't take any more individual rights from me, my neighbors, or anyone else in this State!"

If you want to have a voice in this continual errosion of our personal freedom, now is the time to speak up. Call, write, or email your State legislators and urge them to "Vote No" on HB 793. If this bill passes, it will become law on July 01, 2009 so you need to act NOW if you want your voice to be heard.

Here is a link to the text of the pending bil, HB 793: 

You say you need evidence that the sponsors of this bill are trying to slip it past us. Read the bill and you'll see that they included a provision to add "exhibition of sexual organs in public " to the list. How could anyone vote against that, right?. This is one of the ploys that is designed to get what the sponsor really wants, which is to add DUI to the list, by including another offense that surely everyone must be in favor of. Urge your legislators to vote NO unless the bill is amended to delete DUI from the proposed changes.