The Highlands County Sheriff's Office only provides records for jurisdictions within Highlands County. For a local background check, please be prepared to provide the following information:

• Full name (to include names used previously, such as maiden name)
• Race
• Sex
• Date of Birth
• Social Security Number

For information from other municipalities or counties, contact the appropriate agency. For a statewide record check, contact the Florida Department of Law Enforcement at 850-410-8161, via e-mail at Applicantchecks@fdle.state.fl.us or by regular mail:

Florida Department of Law Enforcement 

Attn: Criminal History Services

PO Box 1489

Tallahassee, Florida 32302

To conduct a statewide background check at the Highlands County Sheriff's Office, you must come in for fingerprinting and provide an ORI (Originating Agency requesting the background check will provide this number). Cost will be determined according to the fee structure set up by the FDLE.

Accident and event reports are available from HCSO for incidents in which reports were taken by a HCSO deputy, generally in a HCSO jurisdiction. If a report was taken by a law enforcement officer from another agency (for example, City of Sebring, City of Avon Park, City of Lake Placid or the Florida Highway Patrol), HCSO will not have the records. Contact the appropriate agency for the information. The exception would be arrest reports, since we house all county inmates in our jail, as well as calls for service information (CAD reports), since we operate the Consolidated Central Dispatch Center, which dispatches all law enforcement, fire and medical calls in the county. 

According to Florida public record statutes, anyone may request an accident or offense report, subject to certain privacy and restricted information laws. If you wish to obtain a traffic accident report within 60 days of the incident, Florida law requires that you complete a Request for Traffic Crash Report Information Form indicating you are entitled to receive it. To obtain a form please email centralrecords@highlandssheriff.org. Once you obtain the form and complete it, mail the completed and signed form with your letter of request to the address below. After 60 days, the form is not necessary and anyone may obtain a copy of the report.