§ 943.0581, Fla. Stat.
Florida Administrative Expungement
The arrest was a mistake.
When an arrest was made contrary to law or by mistake — wrong person, mistaken identity, an arrest that should never have happened — the arresting agency or the State Attorney can apply to erase it directly. No court, no fee, and it does not use up your one-in-a-lifetime relief.
- Court petition
- Not required
- Lifetime relief
- Preserved
- FDLE fee
- None
Who this fits
You were arrested by mistake or unlawfully, and the arresting agency is willing to say so.
What it actually does to your record
The arrest is expunged administratively, as though it never occurred.
Eligibility is about your whole record
The most common reason applications fail is not the case being cleared — it is a different case entirely. A prior adjudication of guilt anywhere in Florida, including DUI or driving while license suspended, can close this route before it starts. Our screening checks your whole picture, not just the arrest you are focused on.
Questions about administrative expungement
Who qualifies for administrative expungement in Florida?
You were arrested by mistake or unlawfully, and the arresting agency is willing to say so. This relief is governed by § 943.0581, Fla. Stat.. Eligibility also depends on your record as a whole — a prior adjudication of guilt in any case, in any county, can close this route even when the case you want cleared looks clean.
Does administrative expungement require a court hearing?
No. This pathway is handled administratively through FDLE — there is no petition to file and no judge involved. That makes it substantially faster than court-ordered sealing or expungement.
Does administrative expungement use up my one-in-a-lifetime relief?
No. This is one of the Florida pathways that does NOT consume your single court-ordered sealing or expungement. If you qualify here, you keep that allowance available for a different record later — which is a significant advantage most people do not know about.
What does administrative expungement cost?
There is no FDLE processing fee for this pathway. You may still have costs for certified dispositions from the clerk of court and for fingerprinting. Our preparation fee is separate and shown before you pay anything.