According to Florida’s Public Records Law, the state should provide information on public records in Florida, including policies, definitions, exemptions, general information on records access, inspection, examination and duplication of records. Vital records in the Sunshine State are kept by the Bureau of Vital Statistics Office which functions under the Department of Health. Criminal and arrest records in Florida, on the other hand, are housed in Florida’s Department of Law Enforcement which is the primary repository for all criminal history information in the Sunshine State.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Division of Criminal Justice Information Services is the central repository for criminal history information for the state of Florida. In order to maintain the highest level of service, and to better meet the needs of criminal history record check customers, Florida’s legislature has implemented criminal history record check fees. The fee for public requests is $24. In addition to maintaining criminal history information, it is such agency’s responsibility to provide public access to such information when requested by any member of the public in need.
In appealing for a copy of a criminal record, you can visit the office directly, do it online, or file a request via mail. If you want to personally obtain a copy, you can go to their office, fill out a request form, and bring with you the appropriate payment. In requesting for a copy online, just visit the Department of Law Enforcement’s website as such agency offers online searches. However, the accuracy of the information you provide is vital since searches are based on the details that you submit. Hence, you have to provide more accurate details as much as possible. For requests via mail, you have to fill out a request form which you can get from their webpage and send it to the Department.
When requesting for criminal records, you must include in the request the individual’s name, any known aliases, date of birth, approximate age, social security number if available, and the last known address. The processing for criminal history information requests requires a fee of $24. Regardless if a criminal record is found or not, the fee will not be refunded and will be retained as search payment. Such process takes roughly five business days not including postal delivery time.
Serious cases such as felonies will be documented in the criminal history information. Criminal record searches will indicate whether the person searched has or does not have a criminal record. In case a record of criminal history is found, the office will send it to you along with your request. Nevertheless, it is not possible for them to be sure that the record found is really that of the person searched unless a fingerprint comparison is performed. If in case no possible record is found, a document certifying that “Florida Department of Law Enforcement found no Florida criminal history based on the information provided. No criminal record check was conducted for other states or for the FBI” will be provided” will be given to you.
If you want to get a copy of arrest or criminal record fast, then do it online. Florida’s Department of Law Enforcement offers online search for criminal records for a fee of $24. Free public arrest records, on the other hand, are available through other independent online record providers. There’s nothing to fret about as these online service providers also have their own database which may contain the arrest or criminal history information you need about an individual you are investigating. Such records providers range from free to fee based. However, if you’re after the quality, then you’re better off with the one that charges a minimal fee but yields comprehensive and accurate results in an expedient and practical way.
Learn all about Florida Criminal Records and where to find the right resource for Criminal Records Free To Public.. This article, Florida Arrest Records Available Online has free reprint rights.
