Broward County | Record Sealing & Expungement
An old arrest can keep appearing after the case has ended. Miller & Jacobs helps you find out what the record says, which relief may fit, and what steps remain. Start with the case number or background report that brought the issue to your attention.
Trying to move forward after an old case? Call 954-465-8733. Bring the final disposition and any report showing the record. Our Pompano Beach office serves people with Broward County record-sealing and expungement questions.
Read the disposition for every count
Distinguish sealing, expungement, and corrections
Know what the relief can and cannot change
Local help from our Pompano Beach office
Your history, the case outcome, and the record you want addressed
Three Starting Points for a Record Review
What happened to each charge? Have you had other arrests or cases, or past orders sealing or expunging a record? Where does the record still appear? These questions help show whether you may qualify, need a court paper, have an incorrect report, or still have a step to finish.
Read Florida’s Expungement LawAn Application Is Coming Up
Bring the exact employment, licensing, or other application question and its deadline. Explain whether an order has already been entered. Do not assume that filing a request changes your disclosure obligations before the process is complete.
Broward Records, Different Sources
A case may involve the Broward Clerk, an arresting agency, FDLE, and a company that produced a background report. Our Pompano Beach expungement page addresses the first eligibility questions, while our Fort Lauderdale record-sealing guide explains the local process. A countywide review identifies which record and custodian need attention. For additional local context, see our Hollywood expungement guide.
Collect a Reliable Starting File
A short online entry may not show why a case ended or whether every count was resolved. Start with the official disposition and supporting papers. Keep the background report too, so the concern that prompted your call can be compared with the actual court record.
Find the arrest date, agency, booking or incident number, and name used in the record. If you know only the approximate year, say so. These details help locate the correct event rather than a similarly named case.
Identify every charge tied to the arrest. A case with several counts may have different outcomes for each. Keep the charging document where available instead of relying on a single label from an old search result.
Get the court document showing how each count ended. A dismissal, not-guilty result, adjudication, and withhold are different outcomes. The wording matters more than a recollection that the case was “taken care of.”
Bring paperwork showing the end of probation or other applicable supervision. Identify any requirement you believe remains unfinished. The review should use the actual status rather than assume that the passage of time completed it.
Tell your lawyer about earlier sealing or expungement applications and orders, including denied requests. Bring the documents if possible. Other cases and prior relief may affect which process is available now.
Save the complete background report, date, provider name, and any notice you received with it. Mark the entry you question. A report that omits a dismissal raises a different issue from an accurate record you want sealed.
Keep an accurate private copy. Save the disposition and any later relief order securely. You may need them to understand an exception, correct an outdated report, or explain what the court actually ordered.
Choose the Correct Route
Florida has court-ordered sealing and expungement procedures with eligibility requirements. The current law also provides automatic sealing for certain qualifying outcomes. The first task is to identify the route that applies and what has actually happened to the record, not assume that a closed case has disappeared everywhere.
Read Florida’s Record-Sealing LawCourt-Ordered Sealing
Sealing limits public access to a covered record, while authorized access can remain. Eligibility requires reviewing the disposition, offense, history, supervision, and prior relief. A withhold of adjudication does not make every record eligible.
Court-Ordered Expungement
Expungement has its own qualifying conditions and effect on agency records. Some records remain retained or accessible as the law allows. Your lawyer should explain the difference from sealing using the specific record you want addressed.
Automatic Sealing
Certain qualifying nonfiled, dismissed, or not-guilty outcomes can lead to automatic sealing under Florida law. This is not a promise that every arrest or private copy vanishes. Check the actual record status and whether additional relief is appropriate.
Record Corrections
If a report identifies the wrong person, duplicates an arrest, or omits the final outcome, preserve the report and supporting documents. Discuss the correction process separately from a petition to seal or expunge an otherwise accurate record.
Find Out Where You Stand
Bring the disposition and the report you are seeing
Call 954-465-8733You do not need to know the right legal label before calling. Tell us what appears, how it is affecting you, and whether there is a deadline. We can discuss the records needed for an informed eligibility review.
Request a Free ConsultationA Private Review of Your Records
1600 S. Federal Highway, Suite 1101
Pompano Beach, FL 33062
From Eligibility to a Court Decision
Our Broward County criminal-defense hub explains related case concerns. Record relief is a separate review after the outcome is known. For the standard court-ordered process, FDLE eligibility review comes before a petition, and the court decides whether to grant relief.
Broward Criminal-Defense OverviewInitial Review
Identify the record you want to address. Review how each charge ended, which offenses may block relief, and any past record relief. Find out where to get missing facts. An incomplete history can send an application down the wrong path.
Application Materials
Gather the forms and records required for your process. Names, dates, case numbers, and certified documents should agree. Use the current official instructions, not an old checklist found online.
FDLE Review
If FDLE issues a certificate of eligibility, keep it and note when it expires. It supports a court petition but does not itself order a record sealed or expunged. Discuss the next filing step soon.
Court Petition
The petition and supporting papers must identify the record and requested relief accurately. Your lawyer can explain the filing, notice, and any hearing requirements. Keep copies of the submitted documents and later court instructions.
The Court’s Order
Check that the signed order lists the right person, arrest, and case. Ask which agencies receive it and what still needs to be done. An application receipt or eligibility certificate is not the same as that order.
Follow-Through
After the court grants relief, ask how to check that agencies have carried out the order. Discuss any report that still shows old information. Keep the order. A private website or earlier report may need separate follow-up.
Moving Forward With Clear Information
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A useful record-relief plan should explain both the benefit of the order and the responsibilities that remain after it.
Tell your lawyer what you hope to do next, such as apply for work or renew a professional license. Bring the actual question you must answer. The goal is practical guidance tied to your record, not a blanket instruction to deny every past arrest.
An Organized Record-Relief Plan
Keep a dated list of documents requested, applications submitted, and responses received. Ask what the next step depends on. A clear file helps identify whether the wait is for a missing document, an agency decision, or court action.
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Match the arrest, agency, case number, and counts. Explain where the information appears and why you are seeking relief now.
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Get the final disposition for each count and relevant supervision records. Resolve unclear entries before describing the case as dismissed or eligible.
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Consider court-ordered relief, automatic sealing status, and any distinct correction issue. Choose the route supported by your documents and current law.
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Check required forms, certifications, and identifying information. Keep copies and respond to a request for more material without changing facts to fit an eligibility category.
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If the chosen process requires a petition, review the filing and any hearing notice. Understand that a certificate permits the next step rather than guarantees the decision.
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Keep the final documents privately and confirm what they cover. Ask about future disclosure questions and any inaccurate or outdated private report that remains.
Know the Scope of the Work
Before representation begins, discuss fees, the responsible attorney, and the included work. Clarify whether the engagement covers eligibility review, the court petition, implementation questions, or a separate background-report dispute. Do not assume it includes removal of every internet mention.
Disposition and criminal-history review
Current eligibility and process assessment
Required application-document preparation
Court petition and hearing responsibilities
Order review and follow-through questions
Ask how to provide identity documents and case papers securely. Tell the firm about a new application deadline or a newly discovered case. Avoid posting the record publicly while seeking help with limiting its visibility.
Meet the Attorneys
Partner | Trial Attorney
Review Partner Mark J. Miller’s background. Discuss how the firm would evaluate your case outcome and the available record-relief process.
Mark Miller's Professional Background
Partner | Trial Attorney
Learn about Partner Rick S. Jacobs. Ask about the preparation, court responsibilities, and communication involved in a Broward County sealing or expungement matter.
Rick Jacobs's Professional BackgroundPrepare for the First Conversation
You can start with a case number or the report in front of you. Explain what you know and what is uncertain. A careful review is more useful than choosing answers based on what you think will make the application qualify.
List the arrest date, agency, case number, and names used. Include related counts or cases that arose from the same event.
Bring dismissal, judgment, sentencing, and supervision-completion documents. Include all pages, not just an online summary.
Provide any prior FDLE certificate, denial, petition, or sealing and expungement order. Note whether a request is still pending elsewhere.
Mention other criminal cases and record relief, including matters you believe were minor. Identify uncertainty honestly so the relevant records can be checked.
Keep the full report, provider name, report date, and accompanying notice. Mark the entry that concerns you without altering the original.
Bring the exact question and deadline for employment, licensing, education, or another application. The wording and recipient can affect the advice you need.
Answers About Record Relief
These answers explain the main distinctions. Eligibility and disclosure advice should be based on your documents and the current law.
Not everywhere. Certain qualifying outcomes may receive automatic sealing, but the scope and actual record status must be checked. A dismissal does not by itself prove that every agency record, background report, or internet copy has disappeared.
No. A withhold is one part of the eligibility review. The offense, other history, supervision status, and prior relief also matter. Some records are ineligible even when adjudication was withheld.
No. An FDLE certificate of eligibility supports the next court step in the standard court-ordered process. The court decides the petition. Keep the certificate and discuss its validity period and the required filing.
Do not assume that. Florida law contains disclosure and access exceptions, and the exact application question matters. Bring the question and the final order to your lawyer before relying on a general instruction to deny the arrest.
A court order does not guarantee removal of every private copy or online mention. Save the report or page that remains and discuss whether a separate correction or removal request is appropriate.
Bring the record of the earlier relief. Prior sealing or expungement may affect the standard process, while other forms of relief have different rules. A lawyer should identify which law applied before deciding what remains available.
Timing depends on the documents, agency review, and court process. Ask which stage the matter has reached and what remains outstanding. Do not rely on a promised completion date for a job or license application.
Call with the case number, final disposition if available, and the report causing concern. Explain your goal and any deadline. You can identify missing records during the consultation.
