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Frequently
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Criminal
History Check
Upon
request the Clerk's Office will research an individual's criminal
history for a fee of $2.00 per year researched. A certified criminal
history is available for an additional $7.00. To request an individual's
criminal history, please write to:
Miami-Dade
County Clerk of Courts
1351 NW 12th Street, Suite 9000
Miami, Florida 33125
Attention: Information/Research Unit
Please
include payment made payable to Clerk of Courts. Allow 10 days response
time on all history checks. Criminal histories may also be researched
by the public through terminals in the Clerk's Office. Terminals
are available on the 8th and 9th floors of the Richard E. Gerstein Justice
Building in the lobby of Suites 8100 and 9000. The address is
1351 NW 12th Street, Miami, FL 33125.
Felony
Bond Hearings
Felony bond hearings are conducted each week day at 9:00
AM and 1:45 PM. On weekends and holidays bond hearings are conducted
once a day immediately following the misdemeanor jail arraignments
which are at 9:00 AM. All hearings are held in Courtroom 5-3 on the
fifth floor of the Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building, located at
1351 NW 12th Street, in Miami, FL 33125. The calendar of persons scheduled
to appear at the bond hearing is available for viewing immediately
prior to each bond hearing. A copy is available every day outside
courtroom 5-3 and Monday through Friday at the information windows
located in Suite 9000.
Collections
If
my case has been referred to a collection agency, how should I proceed?
If
your case has been assigned to a collection agency, the clerk’s
office will not be able to accept your payment. You must contact the
collection agency for payment. Restitution Orders and Public Defender
Liens are not part of the fines and court costs assigned to collection
agencies. These payments must be made directly to the Clerk of Courts.
There
are currently three possible collection agencies that can be assigned
to a delinquent case. They
are:
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Alliance One – 877-541-8420,
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Linebarger, Goggan, Blair & Sampson – 866-234-9790, or
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Municipal Service Bureau – 800-616-0166.
Please
note that once you are referred to a collection agency, they will
be adding an additional 40% to balance owed.
IMPORTANT:
These agencies are assigned specific case numbers, so please click
on this link: www.miami-dadeclerk.com/cjis/search1.asp
to identify which agency has been assigned to a particular case.
Upon
reaching the link above, follow these instructions:
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You can select to enter information from your case number, state
case number, citation/police number, name or jail number tabs
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Type in the appropriate information
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Click on submit
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If using name or jail number as a search, you must now select appropriate
case number for inquiry
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Click on ‘dockets’ to find the collection agency assigned
to your case and the balanced owed (Note: balanced owed does not
include the 40% added by the collection agency)
Where
can I pay restitution and public defender liens?
Payments
for Restitution and Public Defender Liens must be made directly to
the Clerk of Courts. They may be mailed-in or taken in person to the
following locations:
Miami-Dade
Flagler Building
140 West Flagler Street, Suite 1502
Miami, FL 33130
Richard
E. Gerstein Justice Building
1351 N.W. 12th Street, Suite 9000
Miami, FL 33130
Misdemeanor
Jail Arraignments
Misdemeanor jail arraignments are conducted each weekday,
at 9:00 AM and 1:30 PM, in Courtroom 5-3, on the Fifth Floor of the
Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building, 1351 NW 12th Street, Miami,
FL. 33125. On weekends and holidays, jail arraignments are held once
each day at 9:00 AM., in Courtroom 5-3, located on the Fifth Floor
of the same building. The calendar of persons scheduled to appear
at the hearing is available immediately prior to each hearing. A copy
is available every day outside the corresponding courtroom, and Monday
through Friday at the information window located in Suite 8100.
Bond
Refunds
At the conclusion of the case, the depositor of the bond must
submit or mail the original cash bond receipt to the Clerk's
Office Central Bond Unit, 1351 NW 12th Street, Suite 9000, Miami,
Florida 33125. The bond will be refunded by mail within 10 business
days. All refunds will be made by check only. If the bond receipt
has been lost, the depositor will be required to complete an
affidavit of loss and pay $7.00 dollars to obtain a refund of
the bond. Photo Identification will be required. The depositor may
obtain an affidavit from the Central Bonds Unit. The refund
will be processed within 10 business days from the date of filing
the affidavit.
Viewing
Criminal Court Files
Criminal
records are available for viewing by the public between the hours
of 9:00 AM and 4:00 PM. Files may be viewed at the Richard
E. Gerstein Justice Building, 1351 NW 12th Street, Miami, FL
33125. Felony files are located in Suite 9000, and Misdemeanor
files are located in Suite 8100. The Clerk's Office will assist
you in finding a case number or you may find the case number
by using the public terminals located in the lobby of Suites
8100 and 9000. Files for the current year are made available
the same day. Older case files may require up to 2 days. Copies of
court documents are $1.00 per page; for certified copies there is
an additional charge of $2.00 per document.
Sealing
and Expunging Criminal Records
To seal or expunge a criminal record requires court approval.
The necessary documents are available from the Dade County Clerk's
Office in the Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building, 1351 NW 12th Street,
Suite 8100, for misdemeanor and Suite 9000 for felonies. You must
obtain a certified copy of the final disposition, the cost of which
is $1.00 per page copied, and $2.00 per document certified, if you
know your court case number. If you do not know your case number an
additional research fee will be assessed. You will also receive a
complete package of instructions including a fingerprint card which
must be completed at a local law enforcement agency and an application
for a certificate of eligibility which must be completed by the State
Attorney's Office (for expungements only) and mailed along with a
$75.00 fee to Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
The
Florida Department of Law Enforcement will mail you the Certificate
of Eligibility. You must then return to the Clerk's Office with
the certificate and the completed Petition to Seal or Expunge
from your package. We will then file these documents with the
court. The
filing fee is $42.00.
