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 1, 2026.
DeSoto County, Florida, has about 37,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A DUI arrest in DeSoto County 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: DeSoto County public records, DeSoto County arrest records, DeSoto County warrants, DeSoto County inmate search, DeSoto County criminal records, Florida arrest records and Florida inmate search.
The DUI Law in Florida
In Florida the offense is DUI, and the limit is 0.08.
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 DeSoto County
The Desoto County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Arcadia make the DUI arrests in DeSoto County.
The FBI's agency list also places five state agencies and one state police unit in DeSoto County (the arrest records guide names each one); the Highway Patrol in DeSoto County makes the arrests on the state highways.
Together, the two agencies in DeSoto County with all twelve months of 2024 on file reported 1,445 arrests to the FBI that year, all offenses together; the FBI's count for DeSoto County does not break DUI out.
Booking After a DUI Arrest in DeSoto County
A driver arrested for DUI and kept in custody goes to the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail, run by the Desoto County Sheriff's Office, held about 160 people on an average day in 2025 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a custody page SearchSystems verified at desotosheriff.com/bureaus/detention_bureau_jail/jail_roster.php, phone 863-993-4710. The DeSoto County inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
The Court Case
A DUI charge from DeSoto County is brought by the State Attorney in the County Court.
The State Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at sao12.org/resources/other-agencies.
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at flcourts.gov/Courts-System/Court-Structure/Court-Locations/Second-D....
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: DeSoto County arrest records, DeSoto County police reports and DeSoto County court records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DUI limit in Florida?
0.08 percent blood alcohol.
Where is a DUI case from DeSoto County heard?
In the County Court, brought by the State Attorney. The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at flcourts.gov.
Where is a person arrested for DUI in DeSoto County held?
At the county jail, run by the Desoto 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 DeSoto County website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.