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.
