Florida Arrest Warrants

Every day we're confronted by "directions" and are encouraged to follow them. These could be simple directions for microwaving a frozen burrito or more serious directions like paying for a parking ticket or making a court ordered appearance.

We can skip the directions in our personal life but once a Florida court has stepped into the situation then you had better heed the directions. Failure to do so could lead towards a Florida arrest warrant issued in your name. Once that happens, you're just a few steps away from be booked and place in jail. Definitely a situation you want to avoid!

Why are arrest warrants issued?
Some of the issues that can provoke a judge to issue a Florida arrest warrant would be missed child support payments, failure to complete a court ordered community service program or even simply having a single unpaid parking ticket. It happens all the time. You get a ticket and tuck it away forgetting about it. Months and even years can go by but that ticket is still considered outstanding and unresolved.

This means at any given time a Florida arrest warrant can be issued against you. Then you start a new job where they run a simple background check and up pops the arrest warrant. Try explaining that to your new boss.

Ignorance is not a valid defense
A large percentage of Florida arrest warrants are often met with the excuse of "I didn't know," such as, "I didn't know I was supposed to show up in court" or "I didn't know I was supposed to pay that ticket." You may be sincere with those types of explanations but judges frown on them. They don't want to hear "it wasn't my fault!" The real issue is that you won't get to offer up any explanation until after the Florida arrest warrant has been served and you have been arrested. That becomes a permanent part of your record that will follow you everywhere.

Other implications
Another factor to consider with Florida arrest warrants is that any individual with an outstanding warrant can be denied state benefits. This can include any social security payments. Once again, this can happen without you knowing about it until it is too late. When a judge issues a Florida arrest warrant they do so because of evidence presented to them by the District Attorney's office that you have failed to live up to an obligation issued by the court.

Most arrest warrants are sworn out without the person named having any idea that it is coming. Even if you have moved to another state but the original offense was committed in Florida, you can still have an arrest warrant sworn out in your name.

What can you do about this? There are many resources available on line that can allow you to conduct a search to determine if you have a Florida arrest warrant issued in your name. If you find out there is one, you will need to surrender yourself to the courts. This could lead to an immediate arrest. It would probably be helpful at this point to have a qualified criminal defense attorney on your side. Don't be caught by surprise.