- February 5, 2025
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The Port Orange Police Department will be conducting another DUI checkpoint on Friday, July 20, between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. in the 90 Block of Dunlawton Ave. as part of an ongoing initiative to reduce the number of instances of impaired driving and "ensure the greatest level of safety for residents and visitors," according to authorities.
The checkpoint is part a DUI and Impaired Driving Enforcement grant through the Florida Department of Transportation that the Port Orange Police Department received.
A previous four-hour checkpoint in May resulted in a total of 158 vehicles being diverted for further contact. No DUI arrests were made, but one individual was arrested for not having a valid driver's license and for having open warrants from Colorado. Another driver was issued a criminal citation for failing to obey lawful order from a traffic officer.
According to POPD, the "educational and deterrence aspects of the operation appeared to be a success."
At the end of last year, the police department announced additional DUI checkpoints would be conducted throughout the city dependent on previous crashes and DUI arrests. A $12,000 grant from the Florida Department of Transportation was also awarded to the Port Orange Police Department for DUI and Impaired Driving enforcement.
It was also announced there will be monthly saturation patrols that focus on drunk and impaired driving. Money from the grant will cover the overtime costs for officers to staff the checkpoints and saturation patrols.
During the Tuesday, May 15 City Council meeting, Port Orange resident Ted Noftall asked council members if they would advise citizens on their rights "should they be caught up in this dragnet."
But the checkpoints aren’t limited to Port Orange. In Jacksonville, an increase of DUI-related motorcycle crashes has led to a similar initiative, according to Judy Cotton, program specialist for Mothers Against Drunk Driving for Northeast Florida.
“They’re good because they take impaired drivers off the road,” Cotton said. “If you’re not impaired there’s nothing to worry about. It’s for the safety of the community.”
