Son of Florida

What is the law in Florida for hiring and criminal records?

I want to know how far back the state of Florida can go to trace a criminal background. Is there a limit? My friend is moving here because she is struggling in Connecticut to find a job because her felony is following her. This was in 1989. She has no record since then. She is coming to Florida to try to start a new life. And I was curious to find out if anyone knew how far back they look when applying for a job. Thanks for anyone's help! Really appreciate it!

Public Comments

1. Criminal records do not fall off, ever. If she only committed one crime, and has been clean since, she should go and talk to a lawyer in CT to see if she can get her record expunged as it is hampering her ability to stay a productive citizen. Tell her to quit looking for work in large companies and quit telling her future bosses about her felony, Especially if it is a small business and a low paying job, small companies just do not bother to pay to check employees backgrounds like that. The only problem she would have would be if she gets in the company and then does a lousy job. I have been known to pull credit checks and criminal background checks after the employee is working because we want to fire them and don't want to worry about paying unemployment, severence or being sued for wrongful termination. Fraud on an application is the easiest out there is for an employer and it cannot be disputed by the employee.