In the past month, Attorney Eric Matheny was able to successfully seal two clients' records WITHOUT FDLE having issued a Certificate of Eligibility.
Florida State law requires that FDLE issue a Certificate of Eligibility in order to seal or expunge non-judicial records. Non-judicial records would include records beyond the court file. This would include police records, FDLE records, prosecutor's records, and records from agencies other than the Court.
But you can ask the Court to seal a judicial record (court file) without an FDLE Certificate.
While many attorneys might want to give up if FDLE denies a Certificate for any number of reasons, it may be worth it to continue the process even when it appears that all hope is gone.
Never give up without consulting with an experienced sealing and expungement attorney.
Eric Matheny seals and expunges criminal records throughout the State of Florida.