How Florida Highway Patrol's Elite DUI Squad keeps drunk drivers off our roads

LEE COUNTY, Fla. —

The Florida Highway Patrol's Elite DUI Squad is actively patrolling to identify and apprehend suspected drunk drivers and speeders, aiming to prevent accidents and save lives.

Lt. Greg Bueno of FHP described the squad as "a team of really young, assertive troopers. Go-getters." Their mission is to find suspected drunk drivers, and according to Bueno, "that's their skill set. We started this probably about a year and a half ago, and they've done outstanding. Every one of them is in the neighborhood of putting over 100 impaired drivers in jail each year."

Trooper Blake, part of the elite squad, explained how he looks for signs of impairment when approaching a vehicle, such as drivers handing them the wrong items.

Driving patterns can also provide clues, as Blake explained, "let's say that last guy, he was hammered, blasted drunk. But the second I saw him speeding, I turned my lights on, and he pulls over. I'm going to be missing out on all that possible evidence of him swerving, driving in two lanes, driving on the shoulder. All that's going to be missed."

The squad's vehicles are state-of-the-art, designed to blend in with ghost lettering.

"It's a ghost vehicle. It's not fully marked like a black and tan normal state trooper patrol car," Blake said.

Inside, the vehicles are equipped with tools to make determinations in the field, including a breathalyzer.

"Normally, you have to arrest the driver and take them to the jail. And then at the jail is where you will blow into the breathalyzer and all that. However, my patrol car has one in the back," Blake said.

The troopers are trained in breath tests and advanced roadside impaired driving detection, making them drug recognition experts. These skills are crucial in deadly crash investigations, as Blake noted, "Because of our advanced training with DUI enforcement as opposed to a regular road trooper, we would assist them and give our opinion as to impairment for those drivers."

The squad's work is vital in preventing tragedies, such as a crash involving a 4-year-old victim.

"That cross right there was a crash that I actually worked. They were stopped at that same red light that we were stopped at now, and a drunk driver just didn't slow at all. Hit him from the back at about 60 miles an hour," Blake said.

The driver was convicted of DUI manslaughter in 2025 and sentenced to 15 years in prison.

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