Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The arrest counts are the ones each agency reported to the FBI, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026. The jail figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site between September 23, 2026 and October 9, 2026.
Panama City Beach, Florida, in Bay County, has about 20,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DUI arrest in Panama City Beach starts two cases, a criminal case in the County Court and a license case before the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, and leaves three records. This guide follows the arrest from the roadside to the court file and the driving record.
This guide covers the law, the arrest, booking, the court case, the license case, the records and common questions.
Related guides: Panama City Beach public records, Bay County DUI, Panama City Beach arrest records, Panama City Beach warrants, Panama City Beach inmate search, Panama City Beach criminal records, Florida arrest records and Florida inmate search.
The DUI Law in Florida
Drunk driving is charged as DUI in Florida, at a blood alcohol level of 0.08 or more.
Driving in Florida is consent to a breath or blood test when an officer has cause to suspect DUI; the license case that follows a refusal or a failed test is run by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, separately from the criminal case.
For charging and sentencing, Florida counts prior offenses within 5 years for a second offense and 10 years for a third.
Who Makes DUI Arrests in Panama City Beach
The Bay County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Panama City Beach (filed by the FBI as Panama City Beach Police Department) make the DUI arrests in and around Panama City Beach.
The FBI's agency list also places one campus police department, two other agencies, five state agencies and one state police unit in Bay County (the arrest records guide names each one); the Highway Patrol in Bay County makes the arrests on the state highways.
Together, the five agencies in Bay County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 9,959 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for Bay County does not break DUI out.
Booking After a DUI Arrest in Panama City Beach
A driver arrested for DUI and kept in custody goes to the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail, run by the Bay County Sheriff's Office, held about 1,070 people on an average day so far in 2026 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a jail page SearchSystems verified at bayso.org/faqs, phone (850) 747-4700. The Panama City Beach inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
The State Attorney files the charge, and the case is heard in the County Court.
The State Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at jud14.flcourts.org/state-attorney.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at baycoclerk.com/public-records/search-court-cases-court-docket, phone (850) 521-3501.
Florida has no single public index of every trial court case; each court's records are looked up through that court.
The License Case
The court case is only half the record. The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles runs a separate administrative case over the license, which can suspend it before the criminal case is decided, and the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles keeps the driving record the conviction goes on.
The Records a DUI Leaves
- The arrest report: from the agency that made the arrest, under the Florida Public Records Act (Chapter 119).
- The court file: from the County Court, kept by the Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller.
- The driving record: from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.
More on each: Panama City Beach arrest records, Panama City Beach police reports and Panama City Beach court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DUI limit in Florida?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DUI case from Panama City Beach heard?
In the County Court, brought by the State Attorney. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at baycoclerk.com.
Where is a person arrested for DUI in Panama City Beach held?
At the county jail, run by the Bay County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
Who handles the license after a DUI arrest in Florida?
The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, in an administrative case separate from the court case.
How long does a DUI count as a prior in Florida?
5 years for a second offense and 10 years for a third.
Is this the official Panama City Beach website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official city, county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.