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POMPANO BEACH, FL – Living with a criminal record can be difficult. Future employers might pass on your job application; landlords might be hesitant to have you as a tenant; and it could be difficult to apply for loans or other aid.

To help qualitied juveniles and adults avoid these scenarios, Broward State Attorney Michael J. Satz is offering to have a single Broward criminal charge sealed or expunged from public view at a Sealing and Expungement Workshop.

The one-stop-shop event is Thursday, Jan. 11 at the E. Pat Larkins Center, 520 Martin Luther King Blvd, Pompano Beach. The free workshop is from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Close to 300 citizens are expected to attend. More than 1,300 adults have qualified to apply to FDLE for sealing or expungement in the first ten countywide workshops. That translates into a 52 percent success rate for individuals who apply for assistance at these events.

“Even though a person has been cleared of a criminal allegation, or they have successfully completed a diversion program or probation and paid their debt to society, that person can still be negatively impacted by public use of such information,” said State Attorney Satz. “Expunging or sealing that record may help eliminate the impact that charge might have on a person’s life going forward.”

Any person who wants to know if they qualify for sealing or expungement under Florida Statute 943 should attend this workshop with their vaild photo ID. The State Attorney’s staff, with assistance from the Broward Clerk of Courts and the Broward Sheriff’s Office, will assist qualifying applicants, at no charge, to prepare the state application required by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE).

The FDLE website describes its process and also lists a number of reasons under state law for possible denial such as a prior adjudication of guilt for offenses, including DUI charges, and violent offenses. FDLE charges a $75 processing fee that the applicant sends directly to that state agency after paperwork is completed.

For more information, contact Constance Simmons and Kristi Grimm at 954-831-7910.