St. Armands, Lido Key and Bird Key DUI Lawyer
St. Armands Key, Lido Key and Bird Key are all inside the City of Sarasota, so a DUI arrest on any of them is a Sarasota County case heard in downtown Sarasota, not at the South County Courthouse in Venice. Most arrests on the keys are made by the Sarasota Police Department, and Florida Highway Patrol troopers also work S.R. 789, the state road that carries the John Ringling Causeway, St. Armands Circle and the New Pass Bridge. The 10-day deadline to protect your license starts on the day of the arrest, and the State Attorney's DETER program is open to qualifying first offenses. Nawara Law, based in downtown Sarasota, handles these cases on a flat fee that includes the license hearing, with free consultations by phone or video.
Which court hears a DUI from the keys?
Sarasota County hears misdemeanors in two places. Under Twelfth Circuit Administrative Order 2026-12.2, traffic and misdemeanor cases arising south of Blackburn Point Road go to the South County Courthouse in Venice, and the rest of the county's cases stay downtown. St. Armands, Lido Key and Bird Key are well north of that line, so a misdemeanor DUI from the keys is heard in downtown Sarasota, where the main courthouse is the Judge Lynn N. Silvertooth Judicial Center, 2002 Ringling Blvd., and the Sarasota County Justice Center is across the street at 2071 Ringling Blvd. Felony DUI cases, such as a third DUI within 10 years or a DUI with serious bodily injury, are heard downtown as well. Your paperwork lists the courtroom, the Clerk's online docket confirms it, and the Sarasota criminal court guide covers parking and security.
The case is prosecuted by the State Attorney's Office for the Twelfth Circuit, where Daniel D. Nawara spent three years before opening his firm in 2018. That office decides whether to file the charge, whether to offer DETER and what a plea offer looks like.
Who makes DUI arrests on the keys
The Sarasota Police Department is the city's police agency, and its officers patrol St. Armands Circle, the Lido Beach area and Bird Key. The Florida Highway Patrol can stop drivers anywhere on S.R. 789, from U.S. 41 over the Ringling Bridge, around the Circle and north to the New Pass Bridge. The agency matters because it holds the body-camera and dash-camera video, the breath test records and the officer's reports, which is where most DUI defenses begin.
After an arrest on the keys, people are usually taken to the Sarasota County jail at 2020 Main St. for booking and the breath test. Under section 316.193(9), you are held until you are no longer impaired, your alcohol level is below 0.05, or eight hours have passed. Bond and release are explained on getting someone out of the Sarasota County Jail.
The causeway, the Circle and the water
The keys are reached from the mainland by the John Ringling Causeway. Its high-span bridge runs from downtown to Bird Key, a short bridge continues to Coon Key and St. Armands Key, and S.R. 789 loops around St. Armands Circle before continuing north across Lido Key to the New Pass Bridge and Longboat Key. A stop near the Circle or on the causeway is still a traffic stop, and the officer needed a lawful reason for it. If there wasn't one, the evidence that followed can be challenged with a motion to suppress.
Florida's DUI law is not limited to cars. It reaches golf carts, scooters and e-bikes (golf cart, scooter and e-bike DUI), and a person sitting in a parked car with the keys in a beach or restaurant lot can be charged under the "actual physical control" rule (DUI in a parked car). On Sarasota Bay, Big Pass and New Pass, operating a boat while impaired is a separate offense under section 327.35; see boating under the influence in Sarasota.
Visitors and seasonal residents
The keys draw hotel guests, vacation renters and people who live here part of the year. Florida cannot suspend a license it did not issue, but it can suspend your privilege to drive in Florida, and under the Driver License Compact in section 322.44 a conviction is reported to your home state, which applies its own law to it. Canadian drivers have provincial rules and border questions to think about as well. For a misdemeanor, a lawyer can usually enter a written plea of not guilty and file a waiver of appearance so most court dates go forward without you, and the license hearing is held by phone. The details are on visiting Sarasota and arrested for DUI.
Your license, your record and your career
A DUI arrest starts two cases. The criminal case is in county court. The license case is administrative: if you blew 0.08 or higher or refused, your license was taken and the citation became a 10-day permit, and section 322.2615 gives you 10 days to request a formal review hearing with the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles or to pursue a hardship option if you are eligible. The flat fee includes that hearing.
For many people the record matters as much as the sentence. Florida arrest records and court files are public, and a DUI conviction can never be sealed or expunged, because section 316.656 bars a withhold of adjudication for DUI. A reduction to reckless driving, through DETER or because of problems in the State's evidence, avoids a DUI conviction; what can be sealed afterward is covered on can a DUI be sealed or expunged. People who hold a Florida professional license, a pilot certificate or a commercial license may also have reporting duties of their own; see professional licenses and criminal charges and pilots and the FAA reporting rule.
First offenses and penalties
For a first, non-aggravated DUI, the State Attorney's DETER program can lead to a plea to reckless driving with adjudication withheld after you complete DUI school, any recommended treatment, a MADD program and the other first-phase requirements. Entry is decided at arraignment, and the State Attorney can decline a case. Section 316.656 bars a plea to a lesser offense when the breath or blood result was 0.15 or higher.
A first DUI conviction carries up to six months in jail, a $500 to $1,000 fine, 50 hours of community service, DUI school, a 10-day vehicle immobilization and a license revocation of 180 days to one year, with higher fines, a nine-month jail maximum and a six-month ignition interlock when the result was 0.15 or higher or a minor was in the car. Since October 1, 2025, a first breath or urine test refusal is also a separate second-degree misdemeanor under Trenton's Law. Second and later offenses are on the Florida DUI penalties page.
Questions people ask
I was arrested on St. Armands Circle. Is my case in Venice?
No. St. Armands is in the City of Sarasota, north of Blackburn Point Road, so a misdemeanor DUI is heard in downtown Sarasota. Felony DUIs are heard there too.
Who arrested me if it happened on Lido Key?
Usually the Sarasota Police Department. The Florida Highway Patrol can also make stops on S.R. 789. The citation and the arrest report name the agency.
I was stopped right after the New Pass Bridge. Is that a Sarasota Police case?
Probably not. Once you cross New Pass you are on Longboat Key, which has its own police department. The south end of the island is in Sarasota County, but the north half is in Manatee County, which changes the courthouse. See Longboat Key DUI lawyer.
Where would I have been taken after the arrest?
To the Sarasota County jail at 2020 Main St. for booking and, in most cases, the breath test. Release follows the rules in section 316.193(9).
I live up north most of the year. Do I have to come back for court?
Usually not for a misdemeanor. A written plea and a waiver of appearance let your lawyer handle most dates, and the license hearing is by phone. You will be told in advance about any date that requires you.
Can I talk to a lawyer privately before deciding anything?
Yes. The consultation is free and confidential, and it is done by phone or video, so you can go over the case before you decide anything.
Call or text (941) 920-5514, nights and weekends too, or request a free consultation by phone or video with former prosecutor Daniel D. Nawara. For the neighboring keys, see Longboat Key DUI lawyer and Siesta Key DUI lawyer.
Reviewed by Daniel D. Nawara, former prosecutor with three years at the State Attorney's Office in Sarasota, Florida Bar No. 123626. Updated October 2026. General information, not legal advice.