Even if your criminal charge was not dismissed, you may be eligible for record clearing relief. In many cases, if a criminal offense is resolved with a “Withhold of Adjudication,” our office can pursue a “Petition to Seal” the arrest record.
There are many benefits to having a Florida Criminal Arrest Record sealed. Once an individual’s record is sealed, he or she will not have to disclose the fact of the arrest or plea in most scenarios. In fact, under Florida law, the client would be permitted to truthfully deny that the arrest ever even occurred. More importantly, once a record is sealed, it will not show up during ordinary background checks.
Having a criminal record sealed is generally faster than seeking a record expungement. This is because a record sealing does not require the procedural step of securing the signature of the State Attorney’s Office on the application. In most cases, a criminal arrest record can be sealed in six months or less from the day that our office is retained.
Not everyone will qualify to have his or her record sealed. In order to qualify for record sealing, you:
There are certain offenses that the legislature has defined as being ineligible to sealing. These offenses include:
Call our office at 727-855-3847 for a free consultation to discuss having your Florida arrest record sealed. Take our free online quiz to determine if you are eligible to have your arrest record sealed.
