Santa Rosa County Bench Warrants

Bench warrants in Santa Rosa County are issued by judges in the 1st Judicial Circuit when a person fails to appear in court or violates a court order. The Santa Rosa County Clerk of Court and the Sheriff's Office both track and serve these warrants in the Milton area. You can search for active bench warrants through the clerk's court records system, the sheriff's office, or the FDLE statewide database. All bench warrant records are public under Florida law. This page covers how to find, check, and resolve bench warrants in Santa Rosa County so you know what steps to take and where to look for case information.

Santa Rosa County Clerk of Court

The Clerk of Court in Santa Rosa County keeps all court records, and that includes bench warrants. The main office is at 6865 Caroline Street in Milton, Florida 32570. You can call (850) 983-1960 for general questions about your case. The Santa Rosa County Clerk website has links to court records, public records requests, and case lookup tools. If you want to ask about a bench warrant, the clerk staff can pull it up by name or case number. Walk-in requests are taken during normal business hours.

The Santa Rosa County Clerk website is shown below and provides access to court records and case search tools for bench warrants.

Public records requests can be made by phone, mail, or in person at the clerk's office. This covers bench warrant documents, case files, and other court records held by the Santa Rosa County Clerk. The clerk handles all filings for the 1st Judicial Circuit courts in Santa Rosa County.

Under Florida Statute 901.02, a judge can issue a bench warrant when probable cause exists and a person has failed to follow court orders. In Santa Rosa County, these warrants get entered into the clerk's system right away. Once the return of service is filed, the bench warrant record is open to public search. Electronic signatures have been allowed on warrants since July 2013, which has sped up the process in Santa Rosa County courts.

Search Santa Rosa County Warrants Online

Santa Rosa County offers ways to search for bench warrants from home. The clerk's online court records system lets you look up cases by name, case number, or date. Criminal and civil case records are in the system. You can check if a bench warrant is active or has been served. Keep in mind that the system gets updated on a set schedule. New warrants may take a day or two to show up in the Santa Rosa County online search.

You can also check the FDLE database at fdle.state.fl.us for Santa Rosa County bench warrants. The state system pulls warrant data from all 67 Florida counties. It gets updated every 24 hours. Search by first name, last name, or date of birth. The FDLE database shows outstanding arrest warrants, failure to appear capias warrants, direct capias warrants, and violation of probation warrants. It is free to use. Keep in mind that FDLE warns this data should not be used as the sole basis for any action.

Note: Not all bench warrants appear in online databases right away since some are held by officers before entry into the system.

Santa Rosa County Sheriff and Warrants

The Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office is the agency that serves bench warrants in the county. They are at 5755 East Milton Road in Milton, Florida 32583. You can reach them at (850) 983-1100. Under Florida Statute 901.04, any sheriff in the state can serve a bench warrant. A warrant from Santa Rosa County can be served in any other Florida county. The arrest can happen on any day and at any time. There is no limit on when an officer can act on an active bench warrant in Santa Rosa County.

If you think you have a bench warrant in Santa Rosa County, the sheriff's office recommends turning yourself in. You can do this at the Santa Rosa County Jail. Voluntary surrender often leads to better outcomes than being arrested during a traffic stop or some other encounter with law enforcement. Calling the sheriff's non-emergency line first can help you understand what to expect. The 1st Judicial Circuit covers Santa Rosa County along with Escambia, Okaloosa, and Walton counties, so warrant information is shared across those offices.

Bench Warrant Penalties in Santa Rosa County

Missing court in Santa Rosa County creates serious problems. Under Florida Statute 843.15, failure to appear on a felony charge is a third-degree felony. That can mean up to five years in prison. Failure to appear on a misdemeanor is a first-degree misdemeanor, which carries up to one year in jail. These new charges stack on top of the original case. The bench warrant itself is separate from whatever brought you to court in the first place. Santa Rosa County judges take failure to appear seriously and the added charge follows you through the system.

Florida bench warrants do not expire. That is a key difference from search warrants, which expire after 10 days under Florida Statute 933.05. A bench warrant from years ago in Santa Rosa County is still active today. It will show up if you get pulled over, try to board a plane, or have any contact with law enforcement. The warrant stays in the FCIC and NCIC databases until it gets resolved. Under Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.730, the clerk or the state attorney can prepare a direct capias to bring a person before the court for sentencing or adjudication.

Resolving Santa Rosa County Bench Warrants

If you find out you have a bench warrant in Santa Rosa County, talk to a lawyer first. A criminal defense attorney can check the details of your case and help you plan the best way to handle it. They can sometimes file a motion to quash the warrant, especially for old cases or minor charges. Voluntary surrender almost always leads to better results than getting picked up on the street or at a traffic stop.

To resolve a bench warrant in Santa Rosa County, you can take these steps:

• Hire an attorney to file a motion to quash or recall the warrant
• Turn yourself in at the Santa Rosa County Jail
• Contact the sheriff's office at (850) 983-1100
• Call the clerk's office at (850) 983-1960 for case status

Watch out for scam calls. Real law enforcement in Santa Rosa County will never ask you to pay over the phone to clear a bench warrant. No gift cards, no wire transfers. If someone calls and demands payment, hang up. Under Florida Statute 88.3051, a court can issue a bench warrant, capias, or writ of bodily attachment when a person fails to appear after proper notice. Bench warrant records in Santa Rosa County are public under Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes, which is the Sunshine Law. Anyone can look them up through the clerk or the FDLE system.

Santa Rosa County Warrant Records

All bench warrants in Santa Rosa County are public records. Florida's Sunshine Law, Chapter 119, makes sure of that. Once a return of service is filed, the warrant becomes part of the court record and anyone can request to see it. You do not need to be involved in the case. There are some limits for juvenile cases and sealed records, but most bench warrants in Santa Rosa County are open for public search.

The Florida Court Clerks and Comptrollers association connects all 67 county clerk offices. The eWarrants system links police, state attorneys, clerks, judges, and sheriffs in Santa Rosa County and across the state. This means a bench warrant in Santa Rosa County shows up in databases used by law enforcement all over Florida. The CCIS system provides statewide clerk case information that includes Santa Rosa County bench warrant data.

Cities in Santa Rosa County

Santa Rosa County has several cities and towns. All bench warrants in the county are handled through the 1st Judicial Circuit Court in Milton. No cities in Santa Rosa County have a population over 75,000.

Places in Santa Rosa County include Milton, Gulf Breeze, Jay, Navarre, Pace, and Midway. Bench warrants for residents of these areas are all handled at the Santa Rosa County courthouse in Milton.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Santa Rosa County. Make sure your bench warrant is in the right county before you take action. Each county has its own clerk and sheriff that handle warrants.