Expunging criminal records is a rather interesting option for people who want to keep other people from knowing they were arrested in the past.
However, expunging a criminal history record is not something simple to do, and it can take a lot of time to either seal or expunge a criminal offense depending on how you approach the process.
Law enforcement entities promote this process and encourage anyone looking forward to expunging their criminal record to do it. Fortunately, Florida's Erase the Case is the State's fastest in which the expungement or seal process takes on average 90 days, so people eligible to get their Florida criminal record sealed or expunged can do it with no problem and peace of mind.
Not everyone can seal their criminal record, though, so it's best for people to hire lawyers to address the whole process for them and tell them what the requirements to seal or expunge their arrest record are according to Florida law.
We are Erase the Case, and we focus 100% on expunging and sealing arrest records, so you can rely on us if you want to prevent your future bosses or any other person from seeing what you did in the past.
Whether you decide to seal or expunge your felony arrest records or any other misdemeanor you committed, doing it brings you excellent benefits.
Take into account that many people and most business owners background-check their potential employees before giving them a job. Having a Florida record or criminal case under your name can make the district school board, bank, or company you are reaching out to reject you.
People can't study any arrest occurred in Florida that involves you if your record is sealed or expunged. Nonetheless, a sealed record can sometimes be checked by law enforcement agencies, a state attorney, or an arresting agency. The reason for that is that sealed records are only hidden from the public, but not for any enumerated criminal justice agency enumerated under Florida Statutes §§ 943.0585, and 943.059.
Likewise, an expunged record, is completely eliminated for both the public and most agencies except the Florida Department of Law Enforcement ("FDLE"). Getting your record expunged means that not even a state attorney can check it, and it doesn't matter if you pled guilty in the first place.
The average time that it takes to get a record sealed or expunged is not the same for everyone. Even if you follow all the processes stated in the Florida Administrative Code and hire a lawyer to help you speed things up, the whole process takes them on average from six to nine months. Although with Erase The Case, we have the fastest track record in Florida where we can expunge your record in only 90 days.
Things can change depending on the crime you committed and the circumstances involved. If you, for example, have more than one criminal charge under the same criminal incident of arrest and you were found guilty of all the offenses but the court withheld adjudication, your case might qualify to be sealed in less than 90 days. For the case to get Florida expungement, the charges would need to be dropped.
Take into account that some crimes don't allow you to get sealed/expunged records, so criminal justice agencies can't approve the whole process even if you plead not guilty for those crimes.
Here are crimes that can't be sealed nor expunged if you were found guilty or the adjudication withheld:
However, if you don't know if the criminal charge you committed is eligible for record sealing or expungement under the Florida statute or the Florida expungement law, it's best for you to seek legal advice from an experienced expungement lawyer.
The first thing to do when looking forward to sealing or expunging a record is to contact a knowledgeable law firm or an expungement attorney. They can help you at all stages of the process.
Your lawyer first needs to study your case. They might then contact the FDLE and the State Attorney's Office to talk about the case and file the petition to expunge it or seal it. Things can change a little if you already have an FDLE Certificate of Eligibility, but that's not a common case.
Afterwards, your attorney contacts the clerk's office; the local governmental entity assigned to erase your criminal history information and everything about you publicly available in the criminal justice information system. If you are eligible for an expungement and have a valid certificate of eligibility, the petition is filed with the appropriate court that originally addressed your case to rule on the petition to expunge or seal.
The process to seal or expunge juvenile cases is different since lawyers need information from the Department of Children and Family Services, as well as the Department of Juvenile Justice.
As you could see, the process to expunge or seal your official records can be a little complex. If you just hire a lawyer who is semi-experienced and knows about the court system, you can get your file expunged in six to nine months - because after all this is not their priority. But with Erase the Case, you get the fastest expungement results in the State of Florida, averaging only 90 days from beginning to end.
Erase the case is always available to take your case and get you the expungement you need. Don't hesitate to contact us! We are ready to address your situation in the best way possible.
Florida's Expungement & Sealing Law
