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Florida’s 2013 Mugshots and Offenses

2013 has proven to be another interesting year for Florida natives. According to the Huffington Post, the Sunshine State has produced an interesting array of strange headliners, from “the attractive convict,” whose mugshot sparked a meme frenzy, to a dog who shot its owners – accidentally of course, and was cleared by Florida State Police. While not all run-ins with the law are as amusing or popular by the internet’s standards, many arrests and subsequent infractions can generate a great deal of unfavorable publicity that may prevent you from finding desirable employment or housing.

If you have been arrested or convicted of a crime in Florida, information pertaining to the incident may still be accessible online or in court databases – which can be accessed by the general public. Regardless of whether your offense was deemed to be unintentional, like Fido shooting his master, or if your arrest did not result in a conviction, the event will remain on your criminal record until you actively have it sealed. Sealing your arrest will make the record confidential and unavailable to the general public.

2014 New Year’s Resolution to Seal Your Florida Arrest

The attractive convict’s mugshot may have invited talks of a modeling contract, but most people who have had a mugshot taken are not so fortunate. Mugshots do not lead to job offers, but, rather, more often than not deter job prospects. Employers can easily view your mugshot online simply by entering your name into a popular search engine. Sealing your arrest might not be enough to prevent your mugshot from being posted on websites whose sole purpose is to post mugshots. What sealing your arrest from your criminal record will do is entitle you to have your image removed from these sites. Some sites charge to remove to take down mugshots, while others post booking photos with the intention of keeping communities safe. Either way, if your arrest is sealed, it is deemed to have never occurred and as such you should not have to endure the social stigma of an offender.

How To Move Forward With A Record Sealing

Take your 2013 arrest and make a New Year’s resolution to have it sealed and clear your image. Start over in 2014 by cleaning the slate. Once your criminal record has been sealed, your arrest and related information will no longer appear on most criminal background checks for employment and housing, which may make securing a desirable career or housing possible.

Whether looking to seal your 2013 Florida arrest, or to perform a background database check, you should contact a knowledgeable Florida based attorney who has experience sealing records and updating background checks. Make sure that the attorney is licensed by the Florida State Bar and that they have been awarded an A rating by the Better Business Bureau.

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Applying for a Pardon in Florida

Not all cases are eligible for expungement; however, there is another option that may be beneficial. Seeking a pardon in the state where your conviction occurred may the best solution to receive criminal record relief.

In order to apply for a pardon, there are certain requirements that may need to be met and certain application procedures. This information can be found in great detail at www.pardon411.com. If you are applying for a pardon in Florida, below you will find the eligibility requirements and process for applying.

To be eligible for a pardon:

  • Ten years must have passed since completion of sentence
  • Must have paid all outstanding fines, penalties, etc. in regards to criminal cases or traffic violations that total more than $1,000.00.
  • You may ask for a waiver on the aforementioned requirements, if and only if two years have passed since you were convicted and you do not currently owe any restitution. You cannot ask for a waiver until you have served at least 1/3 of your sentence; however, the Governor can waive these requirements if there is “compelling need” such as terminal illness, imminent deportation, etc.
  • Must have either a misdemeanor case or felony case on your record.

To apply for a pardon:

  • Apply through the Clemency Board at: https://fpc.state.fl.us/ExecutiveClemencyForms.htm or call the Clemency Board at 850-488-2952. You may also send a written request to:
    • Office of Executive Clemency, 2601 Blair Stone Road
      Building C, Room 244
      Tallahassee, FL 32399.
  • Prepare supporting documents, letters of reference, and a personal statement
  • Obtain your criminal history report through the Florida Department of Law Enforcement by calling 850-410-8109
  • Send Application Form to the Office of Executive Clemency
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A Guide to Preparing Your Resume

First impressions are key and many employers will determine their first impression of you based on your resume. To ensure you are submitting a professional representation of your skills, you may consider the following tips:

1. Be concise. Make sure your objective is clear and relates to the position you are applying for. If you have had a lengthy employment history, you may want to consider placing only the pertinent experience relevant to the position you are applying for. To find resume formatting examples, the Internet provides a variety of choices to use.

2. Be open. Let your employer know the skills that you have. Speaking another language, computer program literacy, volunteer or club participation, extracurricular activities that show how you are a well-rounded person allow your employer to know a bit more about who you are outside of the workspace.

3. Be prepared. If you are currently in the process of clearing your criminal record, make sure you take advantage of the Letter of Progress provided upon request. The Letter of Progress can be attached to your resume and used as a way to show you are in the process of clearing your criminal record.

Taking the appropriate steps before submitting your resume will increase your chances of securing the job you desire. Make your first impression count.

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What is an Affidavit?

An affidavit is a written document used in court.

affidavit-stackAn affidavit is used to swear under the penalty of perjury that the facts contained within the affidavit are the truth. Some states require that an affidavit be signed before a notary public. A notary will confirm that the person before them is indeed the same person listed in the document. The notary will then place their seal upon the document to verify that the person that signed the document is indeed the same person listed therein.
An affidavit may be a necessary document to provide to the court in certain cases. An affidavit may be composed from a personal statement of a person to ensure that the information contained within the affidavit is the exact truth and fact as the person recollects it.

An affidavit may be supplemented by further proof and documentation to support a person’s statement as fact.

For example, if an individual swears to the fact that they completed a specific degree, that person may submit a copy of the degree as evidence that their statement is fact.

Affidavits are a viable method to provide information to the court as fact when there may not be any other sort of documentation to otherwise prove the information is true.

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Social Media & Employment

Social Media & Employment

Employers have a new way of finding out about you. It’s called social media. From Facebook to Tumblr, Blogger to YouTube, employers have access to over 550 million users on the Internet and it’s the modern background check.

According to the National Law Review, “an employer’s examination of an employee’s or potential hire’s social network sites may provide the basis for claims under employment discrimination statutes if the employer used these methods to seek out information that was legally protected in some way.”

As a reported 70 percent of companies conduct online research during the hiring process, employers risk “violating federal antidiscrimination employment rules and laws by using online research in hiring decisions,” explains Joe Bontke from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Screening techniques for potential hires are becoming more readily available for employers as the legalities behind online searches are trying to keep up with fast-paced social networking.

To protect your privacy in the public domain, consider what you post the next time you log on to your account.

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How to Increase Your Chances of Employment After Graduation

How to Increase Your Chances of Employment After Graduation

Going into an interview with the confidence that your academic record will reflect your dedication to your studies, as well as your commitment to be crime-free will enhance your chances of securing employment.

Nearly 1.5 million graduates with a bachelor’s degree under the age of 25 are jobless or underemployed, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Studies show that more than 80 percent of employers conduct criminal background checks, so it is safe to assume the jobless rate for graduates with a criminal record is even more bleak.

There may be good news for graduates with a criminal record. Many states allow records, especially for young offenders, to have their record cleared.

The Law Firm of Higbee & Associates provides a free online eligibility test that will quickly and confidentially tell a person what options are available for clearing a criminal record. The free test can be found at www.RecordGone.com.

RecordGone.com can also provide a person with a flat-fee quote to have a criminal record cleared at the court. Whether a person clears their record themselves or hires an attorney, RecordGone.com has two essential services:

1. Expedited Criminal Database Update (ECDU)

  • $150 for Current Clients; $250 for New Clients
  • Update/removal of record from top 500 private background check companies
  • Free criminal background check from BackgroundChecks.com (normally $49)
  • Informational guide and sample letter on how to clear/challenge results of a background check company reporting outdated information
  • $250 credit towards any legal action Higbee & Associates takes on your behalf against a potential employer who wrongfully discriminates against you or a background check company that unlawfully distributes outdated information about you

2. Mugshot Removal & Publication Prevention

  • $399 (Add a $50 discount if done with ECDU)
  • Removes your photo from top mugshot sites and prevents it from being published in the future
  • Covers 80+ mugshot sites
  • 5 year coverage
  • Money-back guarantee if a mugshot is posted on a listed site and it is not removed from the site within 30 days of notifying us
  • Service begins when we receive the court order showing your record has been cleared

Contact RecordGone.Com today by visiting our website or calling us toll free at 866-534-7049 to see how you can get started today to securing a solid future after graduation.

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