Sealing And Expunging A Record
Fla. Stat. 943.0585 — a certificate of eligibility first, and generally once
In Florida, a person may petition to expunge a criminal history record where no charging document was filed, or where charges were filed and then dismissed, nolle prossed, or ended in acquittal or a verdict of not guilty, and the person meets the section's other conditions.
A certificate of eligibility from the department comes before the petition. Before petitioning a court to expunge or seal, the person applies to the department for a certificate of eligibility, and the petition is filed with a valid certificate.
Sealing is available where the record is not one the law makes ineligible and the person has never been adjudicated guilty in Florida of a criminal offense, or adjudicated delinquent for a felony or certain listed misdemeanors. Expunction generally requires that the person never obtained a prior sealing or expunction, unless the record was sealed for at least 10 years and is otherwise eligible.
Some offenses cannot be sealed or expunged at all, under a list in a separate section not set out here.
Sources for this section (2)
- Fla. Stat. 943.0585 — Court-ordered expunction of criminal history records
- Fla. Stat. 943.059 — Court-ordered sealing of criminal history records
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Florida attorney.