How is sealing a criminal record different from expunging it?
In Florida, sealing and Expungement of your criminal records are two similar, but separate processes. Sealing of your criminal record means that all records related to your criminal case that are held by a criminal justice agency or the court system are no longer accessible to the public. Other than the statutory exceptions listed in the sealing section, your criminal record can only be accessed if a judge orders that it be unsealed, and this is rarely, if ever, done. Expungement (also known as expunction) is the physical destruction of all records related to your criminal case that are held by a criminal justice agency. Importantly though, one copy of your criminal record history is retained by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Clerk of the Court, but neither are open to the public. The primary distinction between sealing and expungement, is that sealed records are retained by the courts and law enforcement agencies who possess them, but they are prohibited from divulg
