Oldsmar Vice Mayor Charged With Drunk Driving After 3-Car Pileup

OLDSMAR, FL — The vice mayor of Oldsmar was charged with driving under the influence after Hillsborough County Sheriff's deputies said she caused a three-car pileup.

At 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, deputies responded to a traffic accident on West Hillsborough Avenue and Race Track Road. A witness called 911 after seeing a red Tesla traveling erratically on Hillsborough Avenue and then rear-ending another vehicle. The car that was hit then rear-ended the car in front of it.

When deputies arrived, they found Linda Norris, 59, at the wheel of a red Tesla. When they asked her to step out of the car, they said they noticed she was slurring her words and her movements were unstable. Deputies asked her where she was going and where she came from but said Norris was unable to provide a clear answer.

Inside the Tesla, deputies discovered an open container of Fireball in the center console and two additional, but closed, bottles in her purse.

Norris was arrested after she was unable to pass the field sobriety exercises and refused to give a breath sample.

No one involved in the crash reported injuries.

Norris has served on the Oldsmar City Council since 2010. She also serves as chairwoman of the North Pinellas Cultural Alliance; the Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Policy and Advocacy Committee for the National League of Cities, the Pinellas County Aircraft Noise Abatement Task Force and the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council.

She is also the largest private donor in the history of the Oldsmar Cares food pantry. Norris donated most of her salary to the pantry in each of her three council terms.

Norris was charged with driving under the influence third conviction and refusal to submit to testing. She was released from jail Wednesday night after posting $1,000 bond.

Patch was unable to reach Norris for comment.

"It's infuriating to know some drivers have no respect for the law or the lives around them," said Sheriff Chad Chronister. "Furthermore, Linda Norris is a public official and should behave accordingly. Instead, she serves as an example of our commitment to identifying and catching those who break the law, no matter who they are."