Find Bench Warrants in Brevard County

Bench warrants in Brevard County are issued by judges in the 18th Judicial Circuit when someone skips a court date or breaks a court order. This is one of the most populated counties on Florida's east coast, stretching along the Space Coast from Titusville down to Palm Bay. The county seat is Titusville, and the main courthouse complex sits in Viera. Both the Clerk of Court and the Sheriff's Office keep bench warrant records in Brevard County. With over 658,000 residents, the county handles a high volume of criminal and civil cases. You can search for active bench warrants through the clerk's website, the sheriff, or the FDLE statewide database.

Brevard County Clerk of Court

The Brevard County Clerk of Court keeps all court case files, including bench warrants. The main office is at 2825 Judge Fran Jamieson Way in Viera, FL 32940. Call (321) 637-5413 for court records and criminal records inquiries. You can also email PublicRecordsRequests@BrevardClerk.us for public records requests. The Brevard County Clerk website has links to court records search, forms, and filing information.

The Brevard County Clerk homepage is shown below with tools for searching court records and bench warrants.

Official records are also available online through the clerk's portal. This gives you access to case details, filing dates, and warrant status for court cases in Brevard County.

Under Florida Statute 901.02, a judge in the 18th Judicial Circuit can issue a bench warrant when probable cause exists. The warrant goes into the clerk's system right away. Brevard County has decades of case records on file. Criminal, civil, traffic, and family law cases are all tracked through the clerk.

Brevard County Sheriff Warrant Services

The Brevard County Sheriff's Office is responsible for serving bench warrants and arrest warrants. Their main office is at 700 Park Ave, Titusville, FL 32796. Phone is (321) 264-5214. You can email Records@BCSO.us for records requests. The Brevard County Sheriff website has details on their services, which include case reports, arrest reports, background checks, and warrants.

The Brevard County Sheriff's Office website is shown here.

You can contact the sheriff's office to ask about active bench warrants in Brevard County. They maintain their own warrant records and can confirm if a warrant is currently active.

Under Florida Statute 901.04, any sheriff in the state can serve a Brevard County bench warrant. That works both ways. Brevard County deputies can serve warrants from other counties too. The arrest can happen any day at any time. There are no limits on when or where the warrant can be served within Florida.

Note: Bench warrants in Brevard County are entered into the National Crime Information Center database, so they can show up during law enforcement contacts in other states too.

How Brevard County Bench Warrants Work

The most common reason for a bench warrant in Brevard County is failure to appear in court. Under Florida Statute 88.3051, the court issues a bench warrant, capias, or writ of bodily attachment when someone does not show after proper notice. This covers criminal hearings, traffic court, civil proceedings, and family law cases. It does not matter what type of case it is. Miss court in Brevard County and a bench warrant is likely.

Florida bench warrants do not expire. This is something many people do not know. Under Florida Statute 933.05, search warrants expire after 10 days. Bench warrants are different. A bench warrant from Brevard County stays active until the person is arrested, the judge recalls it, or the subject is deceased. Old warrants carry the same weight as new ones.

Brevard County Bench Warrant Penalties

Missing court is a crime in Florida. Under Florida Statute 843.15, failure to appear on a felony charge is a third-degree felony. That means up to five years in prison. Failure to appear on a misdemeanor charge is a first-degree misdemeanor with up to one year in jail. These charges come on top of whatever case was already pending in Brevard County. They are handled as separate matters.

Under Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.730, the clerk or the state attorney can prepare a direct capias to bring someone back before the court. This is used in Brevard County when someone skips sentencing or adjudication. The capias is another form of arrest order. It works much like a bench warrant. Getting arrested on a capias in Brevard County puts you right back in front of the judge.

The longer a bench warrant goes unresolved in Brevard County, the worse it gets. Judges may set higher bond amounts for people with a pattern of missed court dates. The failure to appear charge adds to your record. And the original case still sits there waiting. Dealing with a bench warrant sooner is almost always better than waiting.

Resolving Bench Warrants in Brevard County

First, confirm the warrant. Call the Brevard County Clerk at (321) 637-5413 or the sheriff at (321) 264-5214. You can also check the FDLE database at fdle.state.fl.us, which covers all 67 Florida counties including Brevard. Once you know the warrant is real, get a lawyer.

A criminal defense attorney can help you in several ways with a Brevard County bench warrant:

• File a motion to quash or recall the warrant
• Arrange voluntary surrender at the Brevard County Jail
• Get a new court date set up quickly
• Represent you at the hearing on the failure to appear charge
• Work to minimize penalties for the bench warrant in Brevard County

Bench warrant records in Brevard County are public under Florida's Sunshine Law, Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes. Anyone can request information about an active warrant through the clerk's office. The Florida Court Clerks and Comptrollers association connects all county clerk offices for statewide access. Be careful about warrant scam calls. No law enforcement agency in Brevard County will ask you to pay by phone to clear a bench warrant.

Cities in Brevard County

Brevard County has many cities along the Space Coast. Two cities meet the population threshold for their own pages. All bench warrants in Brevard County are handled through the 18th Judicial Circuit Court.

Other cities in Brevard County include Titusville, Cocoa, Cocoa Beach, Merritt Island, Satellite Beach, Rockledge, and West Melbourne. All court matters for these areas go through the Brevard County courthouse in Viera.

Nearby Counties

These counties are next to Brevard County along the Florida coast. Make sure you know which county issued your bench warrant before you try to resolve it.