A 20-year-old driver was pulled over in Tampa yesterday morning after Florida Highway Patrol troopers clocked his silver Nissan Altima going 121 mph in a posted 65 mph zone. Aiden Irizarry was arrested on charges of dangerous excessive speeding under Florida's Super Speeder law, plus driving under the influence, after troopers said they found signs of impairment during the stop.
According to WFLA, troopers first spotted Irizarry's Altima near the I-275 and I-4 interchange, where he was allegedly rapidly changing lanes near other vehicles before exiting onto State Road 574, where troopers stopped him. Investigators noted that Irizarry had bloodshot, glassy eyes and a strong smell of alcohol on his breath, per the arrest affidavit cited by the station.
A Chipotle Cup Becomes Key Evidence
Troopers said they found a Chipotle cup in the center console cup holder containing orange liquid that smelled strongly of an alcoholic beverage, according to the arrest affidavit. Irizarry told troopers he had drunk one bottle of Corona, the same affidavit states, and he performed poorly when completing field sobriety tests. He also told troopers he thought he was only going 85 mph to 90 mph before he was pulled over, per the affidavit.
Troopers determined Irizarry was allegedly under the influence and arrested him accordingly. He was booked into the Hillsborough County jail. Florida Highway Patrol also says Irizarry now faces a probation violation charge tied to a previous out-of-county offense, adding another layer of legal exposure on top of the fresh charges.
How Florida's Super Speeder Law Changed the Stakes
Irizarry's case falls squarely under Florida Statute § 316.1922, the state's Super Speeder law enacted in July 2025 through House Bill 351. The law made driving 50 mph or more over the posted limit, or hitting 100 mph in a dangerous manner, a criminal second-degree misdemeanor rather than a mere civil infraction, according to the Florida Senate. A first offense carries up to 30 days in jail and a $500 fine, while repeat convictions within five years can bring up to 90 days behind bars, fines as high as $1,000, and a mandatory license revocation of six months to a year.
The law exists in part because of a legal gap that had frustrated prosecutors for years. Florida appellate courts, in rulings like Harris v. State in 2021, had held that excessive speed alone wasn't enough to support a criminal reckless driving charge, according to the Brancato Law Firm. That precedent meant troopers couldn't file criminal charges based on radar or laser readings alone without separate proof of reckless driving. House Bill 351 closed that loophole by making extreme speed itself the crime.
If Irizarry is convicted of DUI as well, Florida law leaves little room for leniency. A standard first DUI conviction carries up to six months in jail, fines between $500 and $1,000, 50 hours of mandatory community service, DUI school, and a license suspension of six to 12 months, according to The Rodriguez Law Office. Florida judges are barred from withholding adjudication on DUI charges, meaning any conviction becomes a permanent part of Irizarry's record. Separately, anyone arrested for DUI in Florida faces an immediate administrative license suspension and has just 10 days to request a hearing with the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to challenge it, per The Law Offices of Robert David Malove.
Tampa's Interstates Remain a Speed Enforcement Flashpoint
The stretch of I-275 near the I-4 interchange sits within a corridor that includes the Courtney Campbell Causeway and the Gandy Bridge, all areas that local law enforcement and FHP troopers have targeted for strict Super Speeder enforcement, according to the Sammis Law Firm. The timing of Irizarry's stop also lines up with what a 2026 traffic safety study calls the region's “DUI Power Hours” — the five-hour window between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m. that accounts for the highest share of alcohol-related crashes in Hillsborough County, according to Franchi Law.
Hillsborough County sees more than 12,200 traffic accidents a year, with speeding contributing to roughly 30% of local crashes and impaired driving factoring into nearly 20% of collisions, per Cardinal Law. Statewide, FHP troopers made 967 arrests for dangerous excessive speeding during the law's first year between July 2025 and June 2026, with total criminal charges across agencies topping 2,000 cases, as Hoodline reported in its one-year look at the law's impact.
Irizarry's arrest is the latest in a string of similar Tampa Bay cases this year. In February, FHP troopers used a PIT maneuver to stop a driver fleeing at 101 mph across the Howard Frankland Bridge, charging him with dangerous excessive speeding, DUI, and fleeing and eluding. It remains unclear whether toxicology results will confirm a blood-alcohol concentration above the legal limit in Irizarry's case, and how the probation violation tied to his prior out-of-county offense will ultimately affect his bond and overall exposure.
