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If you have been tried, arrested, or convicted of a criminal offense in the state of Florida, you will have a criminal record which could cause long-lasting and far-reaching consequences in your life. It will present you with numerous barriers, including difficulty when securing a job, finding housing, or even applying for certain loans. Licensed professionals risk losing their license, and thereby jeopardizing their entire livelihood. Expunging or sealing your criminal record allows you to have peace of mind knowing that your criminal history has been sealed or expunged.
Criminal records can be expunged or sealed under certain conditions, thanks to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Act. By sealing your criminal record, no one will have access to the court file unless a Judge orders the file to be unsealed. However, if your case is eligible for an expungement, your criminal case file will be physically destroyed, and it’ll be treated as if it never even existed.
Criminal records that are related to specific types of crimes, such as robbery, human trafficking, kidnapping, domestic violence, and sexual misconduct are unable to be sealed. With the exception of violations of the Florida Communications Fraud Act, most white-collar crimes are sealable.
Unfortunately, if you have been found guilty of a previous offense, subsequent records are unable to be sealed. Should you be eligible to seal your case but not be eligible for an expungement, you can seek to expunge your record once it has been sealed for 10 years.
Charges that are dismissed prior to trial due to nolle prosequi or no information can be expunged, so long as all the other charges are disposed of.