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DUI expungement process

On Behalf of | Mar 24, 2015 | DUI Expungement

In Florida, the process for DUI expungement is long and arduous. If you are convicted of drunk driving, it is a criminal offense. This means that once you are convicted of a DUI, you now have a criminal record that is public knowledge. This can create a major problem throughout your public life. A perfect job, housing, high learning, special permits, and much more could be lost for you over a DUI conviction. 

Some people may say that a DUI conviction will be removed from your record years later, which is not true at all. Your criminal record will remain there for the rest of your life unless you take the necessary steps to have that information expunged from your record. 

A “legal expungement” is when a person petitions the court in order to have an item removed from their criminal record. This sounds all too good and easy, doesn’t it? Well, it kind of is too good to be true. In FL, a DUI conviction cannot be expunged. But if you were able to get the charge reduced to say something like “reckless driving”, then you could expunge that charge. 

It goes to show you that legal advice isn’t just needed after your arrest. Sometimes, years and years later, legal guidance from an attorney who is experienced in handling expungements is important. 

Your attorney should also explain to you that a criminal record of an arrest or conviction is sealed. This means that the record is physically sealed and there is no longer public access to it. So this means that you can legally deny that you were ever convicted of the crime. Now, when a criminal arrest record is expunged, the records are physically destroyed so they are not available for public access.

This is a lot to take in, but you should know that criminal records don’t exactly vanish. Better to contact an attorney and understand all the ins and outs, rather than it have a serious negative impact on the rest of your life.