Release before trial in Florida is governed by three layers at once: a constitutional right with exceptions, statutory criteria a judge must weigh, and conditions that attach the moment a person walks out.
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Six boxes, about thirty seconds. You pick when to be called back, and that is when the phone rings.
Or call (813) 588-6602Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.131(a) states that unless charged with a capital offense or an offense punishable by life imprisonment where the proof of guilt is evident or the presumption is great, every person charged with a crime or violation of a municipal or county ordinance is entitled to pretrial release on reasonable conditions. The same subdivision provides that where no conditions of release can reasonably protect the community from risk of physical harm to persons, assure the presence of the accused at trial, or assure the integrity of the judicial process, the accused may be detained.
Florida Statute 903.046(1) states the purpose of a bail determination: to ensure the appearance of the defendant at subsequent proceedings and to protect the community against unreasonable danger from the defendant. Subsection (2) lists the criteria, including the nature and circumstances of the offense charged, the weight of the evidence, family ties, length of residence in the community, immigration status, employment history, financial resources and mental condition, and past and present conduct including any record of convictions, previous flight to avoid prosecution, or failure to appear.
That paragraph also carries a specific consequence for a missed court date. A defendant who failed to appear in the matter at issue but later voluntarily appeared or surrendered is not eligible for a recognizance bond. A defendant who failed to appear and was later arrested is not eligible for a recognizance bond or for any bond without a monetary undertaking of at least $2,000, or twice the value of the original bond, whichever is greater.
Florida Statute 903.047(1) provides that as a condition of pretrial release, in whatever form, the defendant must refrain from criminal activity of any kind and, where the court issues an order of no contact, must refrain from any contact of any type with the victim except through pretrial discovery. That order is effective immediately, enforceable until modified by the court, and the defendant must be informed in writing of the specific prohibited acts before release.
Florida Statute 903.0471 provides that notwithstanding 907.041, a court may on its own motion revoke pretrial release and order detention where it finds probable cause that the defendant committed a new crime while on release, or materially violated a condition of release.
Administrative Order S-2025-063 of the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit adopts the statewide uniform bond schedule for Hillsborough County without change for the 2026 calendar year, and states that the schedule applies only to the booking officer and does not bind a judge. It excludes a long list of arrests from booking-officer release, including capital, life, first-degree and second-degree felonies, homicide, felony battery, domestic battery by strangulation, and domestic violence as defined in Florida Statute 741.28, along with stalking, robbery, burglary, carjacking, kidnapping, trafficking in a controlled substance, and violation of a protective injunction.
Administrative Order S-2024-030, effective February 9, 2024, establishes Criminal Division "O" for preliminary proceedings. The presiding judge conducts first appearance hearings on all criminal matters, hears motions concerning bond and release on recognizance in felony matters not yet assigned to a division, conducts adversary preliminary proceedings, and conducts all pretrial detention hearings, including mandatory hearings under Florida Statute 907.041(4)(d) and discretionary hearings under 907.041(4)(c). All Division "O" proceedings are conducted through audiovisual devices and electronically recorded, and misdemeanor bond and release motions are handled by the county criminal divisions.
This page is general information about Florida pretrial release statutes and local administrative orders. It is not legal advice and predicts no result. Anyone seeking release or a change in release conditions should have a licensed Florida attorney address the court, since only a court modifies a condition.
Bond Hearings and Pretrial Release in Hillsborough County in Tampa. Call (813) 588-6602 and a Tampa lawyer reviews the claim and the deadline that applies. Nothing is signed on that call.
Call (813) 588-6602Administrative Order S-2025-063 of the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit adopts the statewide uniform bond schedule for Hillsborough County without change, effective January 1 through December 31, 2026. The order states the schedule applies only to the booking officer and does not bind a judge. It also excludes a long list of arrests: capital, life, first- and second-degree felonies, homicide, felony battery, domestic battery by strangulation, and domestic violence under Florida Statutes 741.28. The list continues with stalking, robbery, burglary, carjacking, kidnapping, trafficking in a controlled substance, and violation of a protective injunction. It reaches anyone on pretrial release, probation or community control at the time of a felony arrest, and anyone arrested three or more times in the preceding six months.
Why it matters: It decides whether anyone can be bonded out at the jail counter or has to wait for a judge. For every excluded charge there is no pre-first-appearance release, and the judge then makes an individualized determination under Florida Statutes 903.011(6) and 903.046 and Rule 3.131. Prior supervision status and recent arrest history change the answer even when the charge itself is minor.
Source: fljud13.org
The Hillsborough County Clerk of Court states that after a felony arrest the county jail sends the initial paperwork to the Clerk's felony department. That department prepares the official court file, including the original arrest document and any release forms, and forwards it to the Office of the State Attorney. The State Attorney then determines whether to file formal charges. Once charges are filed with the Clerk, the defendant is notified by mail of an arraignment date, sent to the address provided at the time of arrest, and the bail bond agent is also notified if the defendant bonded out. The felony department cannot change a court date once notice has gone out.
Why it matters: An arrest is not a filed charge, and the gap between them is where people assume a case has gone away. The notice that resumes it goes to whatever address was recorded at booking, so anyone who moved, or who gave a temporary address, can miss a court date they never saw. Missing it does not pause the case.
Source: hillsclerk.com
Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.130 requires that every arrested person not already released in a lawful manner be taken before a judicial officer within 24 hours of arrest, in person or by electronic audiovisual device at the court's discretion. At that hearing the judge must state the charge, provide a copy of the complaint, and advise the person of the right to remain silent and the right to counsel. Rule 3.133 sets a separate 48-hour limit for a nonadversary probable cause determination when the defendant is in custody.
Why it matters: In Hillsborough County that hearing is normally run by video link from the county jail, and release conditions are addressed at it. Rule 3.130(c)(2) also requires the judge to allow a defendant who is hiring counsel reasonable time to send for that lawyer and, on request, to have an officer carry a message to a named lawyer inside the county at no cost. That makes the first day after an arrest the point at which counsel matters most.
Source: flcourts.gov
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