Lee County Record Sealing & Expungement Lawyer

An arrest in Fort Myers, Cape Coral or elsewhere in Lee County is governed by Florida’s statewide eligibility law, but the court phase follows Lee County’s own filing and hearing procedure. The Lee Clerk publishes local petition and affidavit forms, accepts filings through the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal, and instructs petitioners to coordinate a hearing with the judicial assistant assigned to the case.

The Dunn Law Firm handles Florida record-clearing matters. Eligibility depends on the entire incident, every charge and disposition, prior history, completion of supervision or diversion, and whether record-clearing relief has been used before. A dismissed case or withhold of adjudication is important, but neither fact alone decides eligibility.

The Lee County process

1. Locate the complete Lee County court file. Use the Lee Clerk’s official court-record search to identify the case number, court level, arresting agency, every count and the final disposition. The public docket is useful for review, but it is not a certified disposition.
2. Order the records FDLE requires. FDLE’s application requires a certified disposition for each listed charge. Lee County offers e-certified court records for many public documents; archived, confidential or otherwise unavailable material may require a records request or a traditional certified copy. If probation, pretrial intervention or another program was involved, obtain the official completion record too.
3. Complete the correct certificate application. An expunction application ordinarily requires the prosecutor’s certification in Section B; an application to seal does not use that expunction-only certification. Lee County is within the Twentieth Judicial Circuit. The current FDLE instructions and the appropriate prosecutor’s current submission route should be confirmed before sending the packet.
4. Submit a complete FDLE packet. The certificate application generally includes fingerprints, certified dispositions, supervision-completion documents when applicable, the notarized application, prosecutor certification for an expunction, and FDLE’s current fee. A Certificate of Eligibility allows a person to petition the court; it is not the order and does not guarantee relief.
5. File the Lee County petition package. The Lee Clerk identifies the petition, affidavit and FDLE Certificate of Eligibility as required court-stage documents and currently lists a $42 charge for “Sealing Court Records”; confirm the charge for the relief requested. Attorneys are required to e-file. The Clerk’s current page says the petition, affidavit, and certificate may be filed through the E-Portal before the hearing is coordinated; follow the assigned division’s current instructions for any original documents.
6. Coordinate the hearing and final order. The Clerk instructs petitioners to allow approximately 24–48 hours for processing before contacting the assigned judge’s judicial assistant for a date, time and courtroom. The notice of hearing must then be filed. The judge retains discretion. After a signed order is processed, the Clerk distributes certified copies to identified agencies and case participants.

What makes Lee County different

Lee publishes a particularly specific court-stage sequence: file first, wait for Clerk processing, obtain hearing information from the assigned judicial assistant, and file the notice. That is different from counties that route petitions through a central expungement unit or permit an agreed proposed-order track. The assigned division’s current instructions should be checked before the hearing rather than assuming another county’s procedure applies.

Lee County publishes a specific hearing sequence

1. After FDLE issues the certificate, file the certificate, petition, and affidavit in person or through the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal.
2. Allow the Clerk’s stated 24–48 hours for processing before contacting the assigned judge’s judicial assistant.
3. Obtain the hearing date, time, and courtroom from the judicial assistant, then file the Notice of Hearing.
4. Follow the assigned division’s current instructions for original documents and the hearing. The Clerk says parties receive electronically certified copies after the order is processed and that the order is served on FDLE, the sheriff or other arresting agency, and the case participants.

For records, Lee lists $8 per certified document through Court Records Inquiry, or $1 per page plus $2 per certified document through a records request. The Clerk labels its $42 charge “Sealing Court Records”; confirm the applicable charge for the relief actually requested instead of describing it as a universal expungement filing fee.

Lee’s self-help center also advertises free form-preparation guidance for adult and juvenile seal-or-expunge petitions through Justice Navigators. That resource does not replace eligibility analysis or representation, but a useful guide should identify it accurately.

My Lee County charges were dropped. Was the record automatically sealed?

Possibly, but dismissal alone does not answer the question. Section 943.0595 automatically seals some qualifying nonconviction records after the required agency process, subject to statutory exclusions. The docket, disposition, charge, and actual public-record status should be checked. If automatic sealing did not apply or did not reach every relevant record, court-ordered relief may still require an FDLE certificate and petition.

Frequently asked Lee County questions

Can I obtain a Lee County certified disposition online?

Lee County offers e-certified court records for many public documents. Some confidential, archived or unavailable records may require a separate request or traditional certification. Confirm that the document identifies the final disposition of every count and that FDLE will accept its certification format.

Does Lee County require a hearing?

The Lee Clerk’s published process instructs the petitioner to schedule a hearing after filing and explains how to obtain the date from the assigned judicial assistant. The judge and current division instructions control the actual proceeding, appearance format and result.

What is the Lee County filing charge?

The Clerk currently lists $42 for sealing court records. FDLE’s application fee, fingerprints, certified-copy charges and any other case-specific cost are separate. All amounts should be rechecked when the matter is filed.

Will a Lee County order remove every private background-check result?

Not necessarily. A court order changes official record handling by the agencies subject to it. Information copied earlier by private databases, news sites or other third parties may require separate follow-up.

Call (941) 866-4352 or request a Lee County record-clearing review. Be ready to provide the case number, arrest date, every charge, every disposition and any supervision-completion information. Submission does not create an attorney-client relationship.

What to have ready when you contact Dunn Law

Gather the case number, arrest date, every charge and disposition, arresting agency, and any probation, diversion, or program-completion record. Also identify any other Florida arrest and any earlier sealing or expungement. If some records are missing, the first step is to identify what must be ordered.

Want a straight answer about the record? Call (941) 866-4352 or ask Dunn Law to review the case. The firm can retrieve missing court records, review every count and the Florida history, prepare the FDLE application, draft and file the petition, serve the required agencies, and prepare for any hearing the assigned judge requires. Do not send confidential documents until the firm confirms representation.

General information, not legal advice. Eligibility and procedure depend on the complete record, current law, agency instructions, and the assigned court. No result is guaranteed.

Official sources checked

Sources checked September 18, 2026. Filing instructions can change; the route should be confirmed for the actual case.

• Lee Clerk: sealing and expunging records
• Lee Clerk: copies of records
• Lee Clerk: self-help and form preparation
• Twentieth Circuit State Attorney: seal and expunge
• FDLE Certificate of Eligibility instructions
• FDLE seal-and-expunge process
• FDLE seal-and-expunge FAQ
• Florida Statutes § 943.0595: automatic sealing