Criminal Records
Sealing or Expunging a Florida Criminal Record
The difference between sealing and expunction in Florida, the general eligibility rules, the offenses that are excluded, and the steps from FDLE…
Topic
Criminal Records
Sealing, expungement, withholds of adjudication, and what stays on a Florida record.
An arrest creates a criminal history record even when the charge is later dropped. Florida law allows some records to be sealed (made confidential) or expunged (destroyed by most agencies), but the rules are strict. A person who has been adjudicated guilty of a crime in Florida generally does not qualify, certain offenses are excluded entirely, and the process begins with a Certificate of Eligibility from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
Guides
Florida statutes on this topic
Plain-language summaries, each linked to the official text.
- F.S. §943.045 — Definitions: Sealing and Expunction of Criminal History Records The definitions section for Florida’s criminal justice information laws, including what “sealing” and “expunction” of a criminal history record mean.
- F.S. §943.0584 — Records Ineligible for Court-Ordered Sealing or Expunction Lists the offenses for which a criminal history record cannot be sealed or expunged when the case ended in a finding of guilt or a plea,…
Key terms
- Sealing
- A court order that makes a Florida criminal history record confidential and unavailable to the public. The record is preserved, and certain agencies can still see it.
- Withhold of Adjudication
- A disposition in which the judge does not formally adjudicate a person guilty, usually while placing them on probation. The record of the case remains unless it is…
Official resources
Government and bar sources for checking the current law and procedures.
- Florida StatutesThe Florida Senate (opens in a new tab)
- Florida Rules of Criminal ProcedureThe Florida Bar (opens in a new tab)
- Florida CourtsFlorida State Courts System (opens in a new tab)
- Seal and Expunge ProcessFlorida Department of Law Enforcement (opens in a new tab)
- Driver licenses and suspensionsFlorida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (opens in a new tab)
- Lawyer Referral ServiceThe Florida Bar (opens in a new tab)