DUI Wolfpack Ready To Roam Sarasota, Manatee Counties

BRADENTON, FL — Folks with party plans over the weekend will want to think twice before knocking back one too many and getting behind the wheel. The Florida Highway Patrol has announced a DUI Wolfpack operation that will focus on Manatee, Sarasota and other nearby counties.

According to the patrol, troopers will hit the road around 9 p.m. Friday. The operation is set to run through about 5 a.m. Saturday. Troopers intend to focus on Manatee, Sarasota, Highlands, Hardee and Desoto counties.

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“The Wolfpack operation will focus on Interstate 75 and major state and county roadways,” an email from Lt. Gregory Bueno said. “Troopers conducting the detail will be mobile while monitoring traffic in an effort to maximize their visibility and effectiveness in removing impaired drivers from the roadways.”

The patrol conducts such operations on a periodic basis to “proactively remove impaired drivers from the roadways and ultimately enhance the safety of the motoring public,” Bueno said.

Motorists are considered impaired in Florida when their blood alcohol content levels are 0.08 or higher. Drivers under the age of 21 are considered impaired with BACs of 0.02 or higher.

Anyone who encounters an impaired or aggressive motorist is asked to pull over to a safe spot and call the patrol at *FHP on cellphones.

Photo courtesy of the Florida Highway Patrol