Miami Gardens Bench Warrants
Bench warrants in Miami Gardens are issued through the Miami-Dade County court system. Judges in the 11th Judicial Circuit sign bench warrants when someone fails to appear for a scheduled court date or does not comply with a court order. Miami Gardens is the third-largest city in Miami-Dade County, but all court matters still flow through the county clerk and sheriff in Miami. You can search for active bench warrants in Miami Gardens through the clerk's Criminal Justice Online case search, the sheriff's office, or the FDLE statewide warrant database. This page shows you how to look up and handle bench warrants in Miami Gardens.
Miami Gardens Quick Facts
Miami-Dade Clerk of Court
The Miami-Dade Clerk of Court and Comptroller keeps all court records for Miami Gardens. Juan Fernandez-Barquin, Esq. serves as the clerk. The main office is at 20 NW 1st Avenue, Miami, Florida 33128. You can call (305) 275-1155 for questions about bench warrants or court cases. The Miami-Dade Clerk website provides access to court records, case search tools, and public records request forms. For bench warrants specific to Miami Gardens residents, the clerk can look up cases by name, case number, or citation number.
The clerk runs a Criminal Justice Online case search at miamidadeclerk.gov/cjis. You can search by case number, state case number, citation number, defendant name, or jail number. This tool covers all criminal cases in Miami-Dade County, including bench warrants for people in Miami Gardens. The search is free to use and gives you basic case details like charges, warrant status, and filing dates.
Under Florida Statute 901.02, a judge must find probable cause before signing any arrest warrant. That includes bench warrants issued in Miami Gardens cases. Once the judge signs the warrant, the clerk enters it into the court system. The warrant stays active and does not expire on its own.
Note: The Miami-Dade Clerk's Criminal Justice Online search covers all criminal court cases countywide, including bench warrants from Miami Gardens.
Search Miami Gardens Bench Warrants
The Florida Statutes page is shown below and contains the laws that govern bench warrants in Miami Gardens and all of Florida.
Florida Statute 901.02 sets the rules for how judges issue bench warrants in Miami Gardens and across the state. The full text is on the Florida Legislature website.
Besides the clerk's online search, you can check for Miami Gardens bench warrants through the FDLE statewide database. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement runs a wanted persons search that pulls data from all 67 Florida counties. It updates every 24 hours. You can search by first name, last name, or date of birth. The FDLE warns that the data should not be used as confirmation that any warrant is active. Always verify with the Miami-Dade Clerk or sheriff.
The Miami Gardens Police Department is at 18611 NW 27th Ave., Miami Gardens, FL 33056. Call (305) 474-6473. Local police handle law enforcement within Miami Gardens, but bench warrant service is mainly a county matter. The Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office coordinates warrant operations across the county.
Miami-Dade Sheriff and Warrants
The Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office is at 9105 NW 25th Street, Doral, FL 33172. Call (305) 471-3220. The sheriff handles warrant service across Miami-Dade County, including in Miami Gardens. Under Florida Statute 901.04, any sheriff in the state can serve a bench warrant. A warrant from Miami Gardens can be executed in any Florida county at any time. There are no restrictions on the day or hour.
The sheriff's records request counter is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Appointments are required, and walk-ins are not allowed. You can submit records requests by email to recordsrequest@mdso.com or by fax at (305) 471-2072. If you need information about a bench warrant that was served or about someone who was arrested on a Miami Gardens warrant, the sheriff's public records process is the way to get those details.
If you have a bench warrant in Miami Gardens, get a lawyer first. A criminal defense attorney who works in the 11th Judicial Circuit can check the details and may file a motion to quash the warrant. This brings you before the judge without arrest. It works best for old warrants or minor charges. You can also surrender at the Miami-Dade jail if you want to resolve things right away.
Bench Warrant Penalties in Miami Gardens
Failing to show up for court in Miami Gardens brings new charges under Florida Statute 843.15. If the original charge was a felony, failure to appear is a third-degree felony with up to five years in prison. If it was a misdemeanor, failing to appear is a first-degree misdemeanor carrying up to one year in jail. These new charges pile on top of the original case. The bench warrant adds a separate problem that you have to deal with in Miami Gardens.
Bench warrants in Miami Gardens do not expire. They remain active in the system until the person is arrested, the judge recalls the warrant, or the person is deceased. This is very different from search warrants, which expire after 10 days under Florida Statute 933.05. A bench warrant from any year in Miami Gardens is still active today. It will come up during traffic stops, at airports, or during any contact with law enforcement in Florida or beyond.
Clearing Miami Gardens Bench Warrants
Resolving a bench warrant in Miami Gardens takes action. The best first step is hiring a lawyer. A criminal defense attorney in Miami-Dade County can review your case and file a motion to quash or recall the warrant. This asks the judge to cancel the warrant and set a new court date instead of having you arrested. It tends to work well for cases that are older or where the original charge was not serious.
Ways to resolve a Miami Gardens bench warrant:
- Hire an attorney to file a motion to quash or recall
- Turn yourself in at the Miami-Dade County Jail
- Contact the sheriff at (305) 471-3220
- Call the clerk at (305) 275-1155 for case information
- Email cocpubreq@miamidadeclerk.gov for records requests
Do not fall for scams. Real officers in Miami Gardens will never call and ask for payment to clear a bench warrant. No gift cards, no prepaid cards, no wire transfers. If someone calls and says they are law enforcement and demands money, hang up. Call the clerk or sheriff directly to verify. Under Florida Statute 88.3051, the court can issue a bench warrant, capias, or writ of bodily attachment when someone fails to appear after proper notice. All these records are public under Florida's Sunshine Law, Chapter 119.
Miami Gardens Warrant Records
Bench warrants in Miami Gardens are public records under Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes. The Sunshine Law makes court records open to anyone. You do not need to be part of the case to look up a bench warrant. Juvenile records and sealed cases have restrictions, but most bench warrants in Miami Gardens are fully public. The Florida Court Clerks and Comptrollers association connects all 67 county clerk offices and helps share warrant data statewide.
The eWarrants system links police, state attorneys, clerks, judges, and sheriffs across Florida. A bench warrant from Miami Gardens enters law enforcement databases used by agencies throughout the state. Under Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.730, the clerk or state attorney can prepare a direct capias to bring someone before the court for sentencing or adjudication. This tool is used when a person misses a critical court event in their Miami Gardens case. For records from the clerk, you can also mail requests to Records Management, Miami-Dade County Clerk of Court, P.O. Box 14695, Miami, FL 33101.
Miami-Dade County Bench Warrants
Miami Gardens is in Miami-Dade County, and all bench warrants go through the 11th Judicial Circuit Court. Miami-Dade County is the most populated county in Florida with over 2.8 million residents. For more on the county court system, case search tools, and other warrant resources, visit the Miami-Dade County bench warrants page.
Nearby Cities
These cities are near Miami Gardens. Each one has its own bench warrant search page with local court details.