Orlando Criminal Lawyer Blog
Unfortunately, events can happen in life that lead to a person having a criminal record. In the State of Florida, criminal records are public record, making the information accessible to anyone who is interested in seeking out the information. Criminal records can also interfere with your ability to find employment, rent housing, and your personal relationships. Having your criminal record sealed or expunged can result in this information no longer being public record, being discoverable in a background check, and may even allow you to legally deny the record ever existed.
What is the difference between having a record sealed or expunged, and are you eligible for either option?
To have a criminal record, you would have first been arrested for a criminal offense. Civil traffic infractions like speeding tickets are not criminal and not eligible to be sealed or expunged. After the arrest, there are a few possible ways the case was resolved: the State may have not filed charges or dropped the case, filed charges but later dropped them (referred to as nolle prosequi), dismissed the case, or a disposition of guilty or not guilty was found. If you were found guilty but adjudication was withheld, this means that the court refrained from actually convicting you of the charge. If you were adjudicated guilty then that is an actual conviction for the crime.