What is the benefit of having my Florida criminal record sealed or expunged?
Circuit and County Courts in Florida have continuing jurisdiction over criminal records which allows those courts to seal or expunge Florida criminal history information maintained by the court system and records maintained by Florida law enforcement agencies. Expunge – If your Florida record is expunged, then the records from the court and most records maintained by law enforcement will by physically destroyed, although a copy of the file will remain with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (“FDLE”). Seal – If your Florida record is sealed, then it remains confidential and the public will not have access to the record through any government databases. However, certain government entities, including the police, have certain legal rights to access criminal records that are sealed under certain conditions. If your Florida record is expunged, those same government entities that would have access to a sealed record would be told that a record was “expunged” but would not have access
