Florida Criminal Records

This guide explains how to find Florida criminal records, arrest records, court records, inmate information, and the public sex offender registry, and how Florida's background-check and record-clearing laws work. It was last reviewed in June 2026 using official Florida sources, and it points you to the state and county agencies that hold each type of record. You can also start a name search using the tool on this page.

Are criminal records public in Florida?

Most adult criminal records in Florida are public. Florida's broad Public Records Law (Chapter 119, Florida Statutes) requires state and local agencies to make their records available to anyone on request. Criminal history information maintained by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) is subject to this openness, though records that have been court-ordered sealed or expunged, and certain confidential categories (juvenile records, active investigations, victim information), are withheld. A name-based search of FDLE's public database is available to anyone for a $24 fee.

How do I look up a criminal record in Florida?

There are three main ways to look up a Florida criminal record:

• FDLE public name-based search. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) Division of Criminal Justice Information Services runs an online public criminal history search at CCHInet. It returns conviction and arrest information from FDLE's Computerized Criminal History files. The fee is $24 per search, plus a $1 credit-card processing fee for online requests. Results are returned instantly and can be printed or emailed.
• County clerk case search. Individual case files are held by the clerk of court in the county where the case was filed. Florida's 67 counties each maintain their own online portal; many offer free searches for basic case information.
• An online people-search tool like the one on this page, which compiles public-record data from many sources into one report. These tools are for personal knowledge only and are not a substitute for an official FDLE check or an FCRA-compliant background check.

A fingerprint-based search is the only way to confirm that a record truly belongs to a specific person; a name-and-date-of-birth search can return records that belong to someone else.

Where can I look up arrest records in Florida?

Arrest records are kept by the arresting agency, such as a city police department or a county sheriff. Most county sheriff offices in Florida publish an online jail roster or inmate search showing recent bookings. An arrest record documents that a person was taken into custody; it is different from a criminal conviction. Florida's Public Records Law makes most arrest records available to the public unless the record has been sealed, expunged, or withheld because it relates to an active investigation.

How do I find court records in Florida?

Florida has no single statewide public criminal case search. Each county's clerk of court keeps its own records, and most offer an online search tool. Larger counties like Miami-Dade, Broward, Orange, and Palm Beach have robust online portals. To find the right clerk's office for a case, start at the Florida Court Clerks & Comptrollers directory, then use that county's public case search. To pull a specific file, you can request it from the clerk in the county where the case was filed.

How do I look up warrants in Florida?

Warrants are issued by courts, but the easiest place to check is usually the county sheriff or the clerk of the court in the county where charges would be filed. Some Florida counties publish outstanding-warrant lists on the sheriff's website. Active warrants may also appear on third-party background reports, but the issuing court or county sheriff is the authoritative source.

Do arrests show up on background checks in Florida?

For employment, tenant, and credit screening run through a consumer reporting agency (CRA), the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) controls what can be reported. Under the FCRA, non-conviction arrests generally cannot be reported once they are more than seven years old. Convictions can be reported indefinitely under federal law. Florida does not add a shorter state-level reporting window for convictions, so an employer's screening company may report Florida felony convictions going back to adulthood for most jobs. The FDLE's public conviction database does not show arrests that never led to a conviction, so county-level sources are needed for arrest-only records.

How far back does a background check go in Florida?

Florida follows federal FCRA rules without adding state-level restrictions on conviction reporting. Key points:

• Non-conviction arrests generally cannot be reported once they are more than seven years old under the FCRA.
• Convictions can generally be reported indefinitely under federal law. Florida adds no shorter limit for convictions.
• If a salary is $75,000 or more per year, the FCRA lifts even the seven-year cap on older non-conviction items, allowing a longer look-back period.
• Records that have been sealed or expunged by a Florida court are typically not reportable and should not appear on commercial background-check reports.

How do I find someone in jail or prison in Florida?

It depends on where the person is held:

• State prison. Use the Florida Department of Corrections (FDC) Offender Search to find anyone sentenced to Florida state prison or state supervision. You can search by name or DC number and see current location, offenses, and supervision status. The FDC supervises roughly 96,000 inmates and 166,000 community-supervision offenders.
• County jail. People awaiting trial or serving sentences under one year are typically in a county jail. Check that county sheriff's online inmate locator or booking report.
• Federal custody. For federal cases, use the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator rather than the FDC search.

How do I find out if someone is on probation or parole in Florida?

State probation and supervised release in Florida are both supervised by the Florida Department of Corrections, and a person's supervision status may appear in the FDC Offender Search. Florida eliminated traditional discretionary parole for most offenses in 1983 and moved to determinate sentencing; most people are released under mandatory conditional release or post-release supervision. The court that imposed the sentence and the county probation office are the primary sources for probation details.

What crimes are felonies in Florida?

Florida recognizes five felony tiers under Florida Statutes sections 775.082 and 775.083:

• Capital felony: punishable by death or life in prison without parole. Example: first-degree murder with aggravating factors.
• Life felony: punishable by life in prison and a fine up to $15,000. Example: sexual battery of a child under 12.
• First-degree felony: up to 30 years in prison and a fine up to $10,000. Examples include armed robbery and aggravated assault with a firearm.
• Second-degree felony: up to 15 years in prison and a fine up to $10,000. Examples include aggravated battery and burglary of a dwelling.
• Third-degree felony: up to 5 years in prison and a fine up to $5,000. Examples include grand theft (over $750) and possession of certain controlled substances.

Actual sentences are also shaped by Florida's Criminal Punishment Code scoresheet, which adds points based on offense severity and prior record.

What crimes are misdemeanors in Florida?

Florida misdemeanors are divided into two classes under Florida Statutes sections 775.082 and 775.083:

• First-degree misdemeanor: up to one year in county jail and a fine up to $1,000. Examples include simple battery, driving under the influence (first offense), and petit theft of $100 to $750.
• Second-degree misdemeanor: up to 60 days in county jail and a fine up to $500. Examples include simple possession of marijuana under 20 grams and certain traffic-related offenses.

Misdemeanor sentences are served in county jail, not state prison. The classification can depend on the facts and any prior convictions.

Are traffic violations crimes in Florida?

Many routine traffic tickets in Florida are civil infractions punishable by a fine only, with no jail time and no criminal record. More serious driving offenses are criminal: driving under the influence (DUI) is a first-degree misdemeanor on a first offense; reckless driving is a second-degree misdemeanor; and leaving the scene of an accident or driving with a suspended license can be either a misdemeanor or a felony depending on the circumstances. Criminal traffic offenses appear on a criminal history record and can affect background checks.

Is the sex offender registry public in Florida?

Yes. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement maintains the Florida Sexual Offenders and Predators search, which is free and open to the public. You can search by name, city, county, or zip code, and the site includes a neighborhood search showing registrants within a specified radius of any address. FDLE also offers a free email alert service that notifies you when a registered offender moves near an address you follow. Registration requirements are governed by Florida Statutes sections 775.21 and 943.0435.

Can someone be removed from the Florida sex offender registry?

Removal is extremely limited. Under Florida law, registration is for life for most registrants. Sexual predators generally cannot be removed from the registry except through a full pardon or successful post-conviction relief that overturns the underlying conviction. Sexual offenders (a separate, less serious classification) have a narrow path to petition for removal after 25 years, but only if they have no subsequent felony or misdemeanor convictions and the original offense does not involve kidnapping, sexual battery, lewd acts on a minor, or similar serious crimes. A limited "Romeo and Juliet" exception under Florida Statutes section 943.04354 allows certain young offenders to petition for removal if the victim was 13 to 17 years old and the offender was no more than 4 years older. Given how narrow these exceptions are, an attorney is strongly recommended before attempting any removal petition.

How do I clear or expunge my criminal record in Florida?

Florida offers two primary remedies under Florida Statutes sections 943.0585 (expungement) and 943.059 (sealing):

• Expungement. Destroys the physical record. Available mainly when charges were never filed, were dismissed, or resulted in acquittal. A one-time lifetime limit applies: you may only receive one court-ordered sealing or expungement in your lifetime.
• Sealing. The record still exists but is removed from public view. Available when a case was resolved without a conviction, such as a withhold of adjudication. The same one-time lifetime limit applies.

Both remedies require you to first obtain a Certificate of Eligibility from FDLE, which costs a nonrefundable $75 fee and requires a notarized application, certified court dispositions, and a fingerprint card completed by a law enforcement agency. After receiving the certificate, you file a petition in the court where the case was heard. FDLE estimates 12 weeks to process a completed application; the full process commonly takes 8 to 14 months from start to finish. See the FDLE Seal and Expunge Process page for current instructions and forms.

Do I need a lawyer to expunge or seal my record in Florida?

You are not legally required to hire a lawyer. FDLE publishes the application forms and instructions online, and the process is self-service in that sense. However, the eligibility rules are detailed, the one-time lifetime limit means a mistake can permanently cost you the chance to clear the record, and the court petition step has procedural requirements that vary by county. Many people find it worthwhile to work with an attorney or a nonprofit legal-aid clinic, especially for more complex situations.

How long does a felony stay on your record in Florida?

A Florida felony conviction stays on your record permanently unless you obtain court-ordered relief. There is no automatic deletion after a set number of years. The FCRA seven-year rule discussed above limits what a background-check company may report for certain older non-conviction items; it does not erase the underlying conviction from the FDLE database. Expungement is very rarely available for a conviction (it requires a true acquittal or dismissal), so most people with a felony conviction are limited to sealing if they received a withhold of adjudication rather than a formal adjudication of guilt.

Are juvenile criminal records private in Florida?

Juvenile records in Florida are generally confidential and not available to the public. Law enforcement records related to juveniles are restricted unless the child was taken into custody for an offense that would be a felony if committed by an adult. Under Florida Statutes section 943.0515, most juvenile records maintained by FDLE are automatically expunged when the person turns 21 (or 26 if committed to a juvenile correctional facility), provided they were not later charged as an adult with a forcible felony. Juveniles designated as sex offenders are not eligible for this automatic expungement. Parents, guardians, and the juvenile's attorney generally retain access to records while proceedings are ongoing.

Miami-Dade County criminal records

Miami-Dade County is Florida's most populous county, home to roughly 2.84 million residents, and generates a large share of the state's criminal and court records. The Miami-Dade Clerk of the Courts maintains an online Criminal Justice Online Case Search covering felony and misdemeanor cases filed in Miami-Dade Circuit and County courts. Basic case information is free. You can also request certified copies through the same portal, or visit a clerk's office in person. For state-prison inmates, use the FDC Offender Search. For statewide conviction records, use the FDLE public search.

Official Florida criminal record sources

• FDLE CCHInet public criminal history search - name-based statewide search, $24 per search, instant results.
• FDLE Criminal History Record Check overview - all options for requesting Florida criminal history, including certified and personal review.
• Florida Department of Corrections Offender Search - find inmates in Florida state prison and people on state supervision.
• Florida Sexual Offenders and Predators Search - free public registry search by name, county, or neighborhood.
• FDLE Seal and Expunge Process - official instructions and forms for sealing or expunging a Florida record.
• Florida Court Clerks & Comptrollers - directory of all 67 county clerk offices and their online case-search portals.
• Miami-Dade Criminal Justice Online Case Search - free online search for felony and misdemeanor cases in Florida's largest county.
• Florida Statutes section 943.0585 - the court-ordered expungement statute.

Disclosure: criminal.com may earn a commission when you use the people-search tool on this page, which is powered by a third-party background-check service. Results from such tools are for your personal knowledge only and may not be used to make decisions about employment, housing, credit, tenant screening, or any other purpose covered by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). A mugshot or arrest record is not proof of guilt. This page is general information about Florida public records, not legal advice; for advice about your situation, consult an attorney. Information was last reviewed in June 2026 and laws may change.