Sealing & Expungement
The case may be over, but the public record can remain. Florida record relief starts with one exact question: how did the case end?
Do not start with the word “expungement.” Start with the disposition.
No file, nolle prosequi, dismissal, acquittal, withhold, and adjudication of guilt create different paths.
Prior adjudications and prior court-ordered sealing or expunction can affect eligibility.
Some offenses cannot be court-sealed or expunged after a guilty or nolo plea even when adjudication was withheld.
Automatic sealing, court-ordered sealing, and expunction are different forms of relief with different effects.
Florida record relief is disposition-driven.
No file, nolle prosequi, dismissal, not guilty, or judgment of acquittal: the record may qualify for automatic sealing under section 943.0595 and may also support a direct court-ordered expunction under section 943.0585 if the person satisfies the remaining eligibility requirements.
Plea with adjudication withheld: the ordinary route is court-ordered sealing under section 943.059 if the record is otherwise eligible and the offense is not excluded. A qualifying record that remains sealed for at least 10 years may later become eligible for expunction under section 943.0585.
Adjudication of guilt: ordinary court-ordered sealing and expunction under sections 943.059 and 943.0585 are generally unavailable. Narrow, separate statutory forms of relief exist in defined situations and require their own screening.
What the firm reviews before choosing a route
Florida’s current statutes require more than reading the final docket entry.
- 01Certified disposition and whether every count has reached a qualifying final disposition
- 02Whether the person remains under supervision connected to the case
- 03Prior adult adjudications, relevant juvenile history, and prior court-ordered sealing or expunction
- 04Whether the offense falls within section 943.0584 or another statutory exclusion
- 05Whether automatic sealing has already occurred and what remains visible at the clerk, FDLE, or local agency level
- 06Whether a Certificate of Eligibility and court petition are the correct next steps
Use the disposition that actually appears in the record.
The categories below separate the easy-looking cases from the cases where a withhold, offense exclusion, or automatic-sealing issue changes the analysis.
Separate a withhold from an adjudication of guilt, then screen sealing eligibility, offense exclusions, and the possible 10-year route to expunction.
What FDLE and the clerk seal automatically, what local records may remain, and what should be verified.
Start with the final stage of the Crisis Pathway if you are not sure which category applies.
Start with the final disposition and the complete history.
A consultation can determine which record-relief route is legally available and whether automatic sealing has already changed the public record.