Florida law makes adult criminal history records public, with special provisions for access, unless the record has been sealed or expunged. A sealed record is placed under highly restricted access. An expunged record is removed from record systems or files and destroyed (also called expunction). The law currently provides several means to seal or expunge certain categories of Florida criminal history records (both adult and juvenile). The records may include arrests, charges and case dispositions.
Court-Ordered Sealing or Expungement - a person may apply to Florida Department of Law-Enforcement (FDLE) for a Certificate of Eligibility to Seal or Expunge his or her criminal history record. This is a required first step-toward obtaining the court-ordered sealing or expungement of that record. Before issuing a certificate of eligibility, FDLE determines if the applicant is statutorily eligible to petition the court to have his or her Florida criminal history record sealed or expunged.