Frequently Asked Questions

(Last Updated: Friday, August 26, 2022)

The firm has aggregated below some of the more commonly asked questions that we receive from both prospective and actual clients ‑‑ along with responses that are as complete and accurate as possible at the time this page was published. We hope you find this information helpful and we encourage you to check back periodically for additions and revisions.

1. My charges were dismissed by a Florida judge. Is it legal for a mugshot website to continue displaying the arrest record?

This question likely is the one we receive most often. The simple and unfortunate answer is an unequivocal "yes." Even if your charges were expunged, it still would be completely lawful for anyone to report that you were arrested. The ultimate outcome in your criminal justice proceedings simply do not alter the fact that an arrest took place. This reality recently was well‑articulated by the 3rd District Court of Appeal in Florida in an interlocutory challenge to a ruling in the 11th Circuit Court in a defamation action. The lower court in that case had denied a request by the defendant to have the plaintiff's arrest record unsealed and that denial was affirmed by the DCA, which cited to a New Jersey written opinion (G.D. v. Kenny, 205 N.J. 275, 15 A.3d 300, 315‑16 (2011)) in explaining that an expungement "does not transmute a once‑true fact into a falsehood. It does not require the excision of records from the historical archives of newspapers or bound volumes of reported decisions or a personal diary. It cannot banish memories. It is not intended to create an Orwellian scheme whereby previously public information ‑‑ long maintained in official records ‑‑ now becomes beyond the reach of public discourse on penalty of a defamation action. Although our expungement statute generally permits a person whose record has been expunged to misrepresent his past, it does not alter the metaphysical truth of his past, nor does it impose a regime of silence on those who know the truth." Farach v. Rivero, 305 So. 3d 54, 57 (Fla. 3rd DCA 2019).

2. What is the typical turn‑around time for Goodman & Baxter to have my arrest record removed from a mugshot website?

The firm usually completes the task of having arrest reports and booking photographs removed from mugshot websites within a few hours, but at most, within one business day. At this stage in the company's history, we are able to provide a reliably accurate estimate of how long it will require us to complete the task for which you hire us during our initial consultation. We are able to deliver solutions to our clients' needs so quickly because we have amassed the right contacts with the owners of the most popular websites that display criminal justice records and have a proven track‑record of trust with those publishers.

3. When will my mugshot stop appearing in Google searches if I hire you to remove it from a private website?

The short answer is "very soon." Most private websites extend the courtesy to our clients of submitting a request to Google to update its index once they delete an arrest report and mugshot. That means you can expect the process to completely play out within approximately 24-72 hours. But remember that search is not an exact science. Whereas Google is owned by a publicly traded corporation (Alphabet, Inc., on the NASDAQ), it still does not disclose the algorithms it uses in adding, removing or categorizing web pages in its search results. Our work over the last two decades has informed us that outdated pages usually disappear from Google search results quickly but we never can make an exact promise with regard to the number of hours or days it will require.

4. How much does it cost to have your firm remove my arrest record from a website?

Our rates are determined by the number of websites on which your arrest record appears, as it would be pointless for us to work toward removal of the record from one website if it still appears on others. The firm also takes into account on which websites the record appears because some publishers are less willing to delete content than others. This most often is the case when a website derives advertising revenue from the criminal justice records at issue and will attempt to compensate for the loss of the page when negotiating with us. Regardless of the scope of the work, we always will put in writing on our exact terms as well as our lifetime money‑back guarantee. For an exact quote, please call our office toll‑free at: 1‑800‑682‑6370.

5. What guarantee do you offer that a website will not simply republish my arrest record a month or a year after I pay you to have them remove it?

Goodman & Baxter offers a lifetime, money‑back guarantee that the website(s) from which we are successful in removing your arrest record will not republish it at any future time. With that in mind, please remember that we only can guarantee the websites with which we negotiate a settlement on your behalf will not republish the content in question. We have no control over what a former spouse or girlfriend may post on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or any other social media platform. When a sheriff's office releases a booking photograph, the right for a personal or business adversary, for example, to post that image is generally protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

6. Doesn't the newly enacted legislation in Florida (§ 901.43) require mugshot website operators to completely remove my arrest record from their platforms?

No. The bill (S.B. 118) that then‑governor Rick Scott signed into law back in 2017 and went into effect on July 1, 2018, rendered it unlawful only for such operators to continue displaying mugshots after they have received a proper request for their removal. The statute, which in its current iteration, mentions "arrest booking photographs" in six separate instances, does not contain any language pertaining to the text details from probable cause affidavits (i.e., your name, your address, where and why you were detained, and so on). It is imperative to bear in mind that Fla. Stat. § 901.43 pertains solely to publishers who otherwise would solicit a fee for removal of your booking photograph or are in the business of "publishing and disseminating of arrest booking photographs for a commercial purpose or pecuniary gain." So, again, the nasty ex‑boyfriend who posts your mugshot on his Twitter feed is not required by Fla. Stat. § 901.43 to remove it. Nor is the Fort Lauderdale Sun‑Sentinel or Tampa Tribune required by Fla. Stat. § 901.43 to remove your mugshot because they do not seek payment for its removal.