duistatelaws.com Key takeaways
- Under Administrative Order S-2026-038, a court can order the SoberTrack monitor for a DUI or BUI detainee jailed 48 hours on a total bond of $10,000 or less who cannot afford bond, if no exclusion applies.
- For a first DUI it applies only where the breath test was more than twice the legal limit; second and third misdemeanor DUIs also qualify.
- Time on the monitor earns no jail credit, and the participant pays a fee.
- Hillsborough courts accept only a cash bond or a licensed surety’s bail bond, and each charge needs its own bond.
- Misdemeanor probation supervised by the sheriff costs $85 a month for anyone placed on it from May 13, 2026.
- Florida’s license clock: 10 days from the notice.
from the date you were served with the notice to demand a hearing from Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. The request goes to the department, not to the court, and no judge in Hillsborough County will make it for you. Fla. Stat. § 322.2615(1)(b)3.
Hillsborough County is the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit, and its courts publish their working rules as administrative orders signed by the chief judge. Three of them shape the early weeks of a DUI in Tampa: one on pretrial electronic and alcohol monitoring, one on bond matters, and one on misdemeanor probation. This page reads those orders. The circuit lists its courthouses as the George Edgecomb Courthouse at 800 East Twiggs Street, the Criminal Courthouse Annex at 401 North Jefferson Street, and a courthouse in Plant City.
The penalties, the license rules and the statewide lookback are on the Florida DUI law page.
The same diagram as a table
| Step | Criminal case — decided by a court | License case — decided by a state agency |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arrest and booking, hour 0 | Notice of suspension served, day 0 |
| 2 | Charge filed by the prosecutor | Deadline to demand a hearing: 7 to 30 days in the eight states on this site that use an agency hearing |
| 3 | First court setting, on a date the court picks | Hearing held if the request was filed — whether the suspension waits for the ruling is set by each state's statute |
| 4 | One or more pretrial settings | Suspension takes effect automatically with no hearing |
| 5 | Trial, plea or dismissal | — |
| Clock | Weeks to months. No filing deadline runs against the driver. | Counted in days from the notice, and fixed by statute. |
The Thirteenth Circuit’s courthouses
The circuit’s contact page gives one number for general inquiries, (813) 272-5894, and lists six locations: the George Edgecomb Courthouse at 800 E. Twiggs Street; the Criminal Courthouse Annex at 401 N. Jefferson Street; the Plant City Courthouse at 301 N. Michigan Avenue in Plant City; 700 E. Twiggs Street; the Pat Collier Frank Courthouse at 419 Pierce Street; and Mary Lee’s House on South Armenia. It does not say on that page which building hears a given DUI.
The bond order refers to a first appearance and emergency division, Division “O”, as the one place where bond motions may cover more than one court division at once. Elsewhere each motion must stay within a single felony, misdemeanor or traffic division.
George Edgecomb Courthouse
- Listed as
- The Thirteenth Judicial Circuit’s first-listed courthouse, with the circuit’s general inquiries line
- Building
- George Edgecomb Courthouse
- Address
- 800 E. Twiggs Street, Tampa, FL 33602
- Detail
- Court tours (813) 272-5368
- Phone
- (813) 272-5894
Criminal Courthouse Annex
- Listed as
- A separate criminal courthouse building the circuit lists in downtown Tampa
- Building
- Criminal Courthouse Annex
- Address
- 401 N. Jefferson Street, Tampa, FL 33602
- Detail
- The circuit also lists a Plant City Courthouse at 301 N. Michigan Avenue, Plant City
Administrative Order S-2026-006 says the county and circuit courts accept only a bail bond posted by a licensed surety or a cash bond; real property bonds are discouraged and “blanket bonds” covering more than one charge are prohibited. A judge setting money bail sets a separate amount for each charge, and each charge needs its own bond. Read literally, a DUI arrest with a second charge, such as driving while suspended, would need two bonds.
Not sure which court your case is in?
Enter the ZIP code where the arrest happened and the full form opens with it filled in.
Release on an alcohol monitor
Administrative Order S-2026-038 says the Hillsborough County Sheriff runs two pretrial programs: active GPS monitoring, and alcohol monitoring with SoberTrack devices. Both are for detainees released on their own recognizance instead of posting bond, after at least 48 hours in jail.
Who qualifies for the alcohol monitor. The sheriff may release a detainee onto SoberTrack only if the court orders it, and only if the person is held on a total bond of $10,000 or less and has been in jail at least 48 hours. A court may grant own-recognizance release with the monitor to an eligible detainee who does not have the assets to post bond, and the order limits the alcohol monitor to people charged with DUI or BUI — a first offense only where the breath test was more than twice the legal limit, or a second or third offense that is a misdemeanor. The order excludes, among others, people with certain violent convictions, anyone currently charged with a dangerous crime under section 907.041, anyone the sheriff judges an escape risk, anyone with a detainer, non-residents of Hillsborough County, and people living where there is no cellular service.
The terms. Participants pay a fee and are liable for damaged equipment, and they sign a contract; a violation sends them back to jail, and the sheriff can return them without a warrant. The order says time on the monitor earns no jail credit, because it is not the functional equivalent of incarceration under section 921.161. If a judge orders alcohol monitoring for someone who is posting bond and does not fit these limits, a private monitoring service is used instead.
The license. Separately, Florida gives 10 days from the notice to request review of the administrative suspension from the department.
| What happened | First time | With a prior | Authority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Failed the test | 6 months | 1 year | Fla. Stat. § 322.2615(1)(b)1.b. |
| Refused the test | 1 year | 18 months | Fla. Stat. § 322.2615(1)(b)1.a. |
Bonds after release, and probation
When a bond ends. For a bond not declared forfeited before 36 months run, the bond order says its conditions are satisfied by an adjudication of guilt or innocence, an acquittal, a withheld adjudication, or 36 months passing since the bond was posted; and if no formal charges are filed within 365 days of the arrest, the court will order the bond cancelled unless the State shows good cause. The original bond does not guarantee a deferred sentence, appearance after a presentence investigation or appeal, conduct in a pretrial intervention program or other court-ordered program, or payment of fines.
Getting a cash bond back. Where a cash bond was posted by the defendant or someone other than a licensed bail agent, the clerk withholds enough to pay unpaid costs of prosecution, the costs of a public defender, court fees, costs and criminal penalties — across all of the defendant’s cases in the circuit — before returning the rest.
Misdemeanor probation. Under Administrative Order S-2026-031, the sheriff supervises misdemeanor probationers and the clerk handles the money. Anyone placed on misdemeanor probation or a diversionary program under the sheriff’s supervision on or after May 13, 2026 pays a cost-of-supervision fee of $85 a month. For an indigent probationer, the clerk applies the first $50 paid to the public defender application fee, unless restitution to a victim comes first.
The SoberTrack conditions
From Administrative Order S-2026-038.
| Condition | Administrative Order S-2026-038 |
|---|---|
| Charge | DUI or BUI: a first offense with a breath test more than twice the legal limit, or a misdemeanor second or third offense |
| Bond | Held on a total bond of $10,000 or less |
| Time in jail | At least 48 hours before release |
| Release | On own recognizance, for a detainee without sufficient assets to post bond, with the court ordering the SoberTrack monitor |
| Residence | A Hillsborough County resident, in an area with cellular service |
| Cost | A participation fee, plus replacement cost of damaged equipment |
| Jail credit | None: the program is not the equivalent of incarceration |
A judge may still order alcohol monitoring for someone outside these limits who posts bond; then a private monitoring service is used instead of the sheriff’s.
Other Florida pages on this site: St. Petersburg, Sarasota, Lakeland and Orange County.
Common questions about Tampa DUI cases
Can I be released on an alcohol monitor after a DUI arrest in Tampa?
Possibly. Under Administrative Order S-2026-038 a court can release an eligible detainee who lacks the assets to post bond on their own recognizance onto the sheriff's SoberTrack monitor, after 48 hours in jail on a total bond of $10,000 or less.
Does a first DUI qualify for SoberTrack in Hillsborough?
Only where the breath test was more than twice the legal limit. Second and third DUIs that are misdemeanors also qualify.
Do I get jail credit for time on the alcohol monitor?
No. The order says neither the GPS program nor the SoberTrack monitor earns jail credit.
What kind of bond does a Hillsborough court accept?
A cash bond or a bail bond from a licensed surety. Each charge needs its own bond, and blanket bonds are prohibited.
Will I get my cash bond back in Hillsborough County?
If you, or anyone other than a licensed bail agent, posted it, the clerk first withholds unpaid prosecution costs, public defender costs, court fees, costs and penalties from all your cases in the circuit, then returns the rest.
How much does misdemeanor probation cost in Hillsborough?
$85 a month to the sheriff for anyone placed on it from May 13, 2026, under Administrative Order S-2026-031.
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More for Florida
- Florida DUI law — the full penalty matrix, the statutes, and the rules on priors and interlock
- Miami — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- Fort Lauderdale and Broward County — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- St. Petersburg and Pinellas County — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- Lakeland and Polk County — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- Orange County — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- Panama City and Bay County — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- Naples and Collier County — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- St. Augustine and St. Johns County — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- Key West and Monroe County — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- Sarasota — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- Port St. Lucie and St. Lucie County — the same state, a different courthouse problem
- Refusing a breathalyzer — what implied consent costs here against what it buys
- How long it stays on your record — three records, three clocks
- SR-22 insurance after a Florida suspension — what the filing certifies and how long it runs
- Ignition interlock providers and costs in Florida — what the device costs and who installs it
Sources
- Thirteenth Judicial Circuit, contact us (courthouse locations) — read October 13, 2026
- Thirteenth Judicial Circuit, administrative orders — read October 13, 2026
- Administrative Order S-2026-038, Pretrial Electronic Monitoring Programs (PDF) — read October 13, 2026
- Administrative Order S-2026-006, Bond Matters (PDF) — read October 13, 2026
- Administrative Order S-2026-031, Misdemeanor Probation Services (PDF) — read October 13, 2026
- Fla. Stat. § 316.193(1)(b)–(c) and the rest of the Florida statutes cited on this page — read in force 2026
Court addresses, hours and phone numbers were read from each court’s or office’s own published page on October 13, 2026. Those change without notice; confirm before you rely on them. No judge is named anywhere on this page, because a roster is exactly the kind of detail that goes stale silently.