Do You Qualify To Expunge Your Criminal Record?

The criminal record from a bad choice or youthful indiscretion can haunt you years later when you apply for a job or a loan. Even if you were not prosecuted or convicted, those old arrest records can resurface to hurt you.

Florida law allows for expungement and record sealing of past criminal proceedings. This is a complex legal process that requires artful handling by an attorney. The law firm of Winter Spires & Associates, P.A., can help you “wipe the slate clean” so that you can move forward with your life.

We take cases in the Fort Walton Beach area and throughout the Florida Panhandle. Arrange a consultation with our expungement attorneys.

About Record Expungement And Record Sealing

True expungement means that the arrest records and court documents are destroyed, as if the whole incident never happened. In fact, you will be able to state on job applications that you were never arrested or convicted of that offense.

Record sealing hides the arrest or conviction from prospective employers, landlords, lenders and other parties. It will not show up on a criminal background check, but is still visible to law enforcement and still counts as a prior conviction.

Only certain crimes can be expunged or sealed, and only after a certain period of time. You are only allowed so many opportunities, so we must be strategic about it. Our experienced criminal defense lawyer, Winter Spires, can determine if you qualify and which offenses would be most beneficial to expunge. They will then file the application and shepherd your case through the judicial system.

Expungement is fact-specific and must be authorized by a judge. In very general terms, you may be eligible to erase or seal:

• Arrest records if the charges were dropped or dismissed
• Arrest records and court records if you were acquitted at trial
• Withhold of adjudication (guilty plea) if you satisfied the terms of probation
• Certain misdemeanor and felony convictions after the statutory period

Everyone Deserves A Second Chance

Sealing a criminal record is the rare opportunity to revisit your past to change your future. Call Winter Spires & Associates at 850-502-2241 or contact us online. With offices in Destin and Marianna, we handle cases in Okaloosa, Walton, Jackson, Escambia and surrounding counties.