Criminal records searches in Florida (FL)

It’s relatively easy to look up criminal histories in Florida because they fall under the state’s public records law and are often available online. All you need is the person’s full name and date of birth. If you know where the person has lived and have a Social Security number, that’s even better, but not absolutely necessary.

Started by checking public records online

The first and best place to begin is at the Florida Department of Corrections, because it's free. This site lists the criminal records of any person who has been in state prison or been sentenced to felony probation since 1992. Sentences of less than one year are usually served in county jail and are not included here.

Go to “Search All Offender Records,” and enter the name of the person you want to check. It’s usually best to be as vague as possible on this site, so I suggest using only first and last name, sex and race. Don’t worry about the other fields.

If no names match your public records search, try searching by last name and gender only. If still no names match, you’re done here.

Otherwise, you will get a list of name matches in four possible categories: Released inmates, incarcerated inmates, fugitives and probationers. Open each link and look at the results, which will show the name, county of conviction and date of birth.

Open any that could be possibilities. Almost all the public records results will come with photos, so it should be easy to tell if you have the right person. The offender page will show you charges for which the person received state time or probation. It should also show the address to which the person was released from prison, which likely will be out of date, or a current address if the person is on probation.

Later on, you can check county public records where the person was convicted to get details of the crime.

Public records at the Clerk of Court

Many Florida clerks of court now post limited records online for free. Every county is different. Some put only civil dockets online, or only civil and traffic, and some put all criminal and civil dockets on the Web. A docket is a simple list that shows the charges or suit filed, the attorneys and judges involved and what action has taken place in court.

Find the site for the county where the person has lived, then do a simple first and last name search of the public records. Make sure you do a “case search” and not an “official records” search, or you will end up with just a list of mortgage filings and deed records.

If the search returns a criminal docket, write down the case number. You will have to go to the courthouse to look at the public records file. Copies usually cost $1 per page.

Statewide public records

The next place to check for criminal records is the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Web site. Start with the Public Access System, where you can do a free name search of people with outstanding arrest warrants. This database has two limitations. One, not all entries have photos, and two, the information here is submitted voluntarily by Florida law enforcement agencies, so it doesn’t include everyone with an open warrant, especially if the warrant is recent.

Also, since you’re already on the site and it’s simple and free, check the sexual offender database. A simple first and last name will do here. Again, most of the listings will come with photos, so just scan the criminal records results for a familiar face.

Then, you can run a statewide criminal records check from the FDLE site for $23. The search is fast and comprehensive, showing all Florida misdemeanor and felony arrests for an individual, sometimes going back 20 or 30 years. I recently ran a check on a man that turned up a single felony arrest in Miami in 1972.

Criminal records sent to you by e-mail

Open the “Search now” link. Enter your credit card information and your e-mail address because later you will have the option of having the results sent to you electronically. If you don’t have a credit card, you can still check the criminal records by mailing in a request with a money order, but your results will take weeks to come back.

When you’re finished, you’ll be taken to the criminal records search page. Enter the first and last name, and the date of birth. If you have any doubts about the date of birth, just enter the person’s approximate age. Don’t make any mistakes here because the site charges you for the search of public records whether it turns up results or not. If you misspell the name, you’ll spend $23 for nothing.

The results page will tell you if no criminal records matches were found, in which case you are done. Otherwise, there should be only a few possible matches, unless it’s a common name like John Smith.
Open the matching name in criminal records, and you will see a header that gives the person’s name, date of birth, last four SSN digits, address at the time of last arrest and, in many cases, occupation. Under that will be a listing of all arrests, including the date and charges, and the law enforcement agency making the arrest.

Sometimes, the criminal records report also will show the disposition of the charges, but the only way to know for sure is to check public records in the county where the arrest was made.

Local public records

You may want to look a little deeper into any possible criminal records. There’s a chance the person was investigated for a crime, or involved in some incident, but never charged. As long as the investigation is considered close, those records are also public.

These searches usually cannot be conducted online. You will have to go to the police department and sheriff’s office – remember, they are different – where the person has lived. Ask for the records department, and tell them you want to make a public records request under Florida Statute 119.

The law enforcement agency may ask for the request in writing, although that is illegal under public records law, and it’s usually a good idea to do it. That way, they have a record of what exactly you are seeking, and you have a record of when you made the request.

Give them the name and date of birth of the person, and ask for all incident reports, including supplementals, in which the person’s name is mentioned. Most agencies will be able to search their records by name to find those files. You will have to pay a fee for the search and copies, but it shouldn’t be more than $20 altogether, unless there are a lot of reports.

Once you’ve done all that, you should know everything there is to know about the person’s criminal records in the state of Florida.

A caveat: These searches will not reveal any criminal history from any other states.