Find Highlands County Mugshots
Highlands County busted mugshots are maintained by the Sheriff's Office headquartered in Sebring, located in central Florida's heartland region. The county has roughly 107,000 residents spread across communities including Sebring, Avon Park, and Lake Placid. Arrest records and booking photos in Highlands County are public under Florida's open records law. The sheriff's office is the primary law enforcement agency and runs the county jail where all booking data is created. Anyone searching for mugshots or arrest information in Highlands County can contact the sheriff directly or use statewide search tools to find the records they need.
Highlands County Quick Facts
Highlands County Sheriff Arrest Data
The Highlands County Sheriff's Office is at 338 South Orange Street in Sebring. This is the main law enforcement agency for the county. The office runs the jail and handles all bookings. When someone gets arrested in Highlands County, the jail staff take a mugshot, record the charges, and enter everything into the booking system. Call 863.402.7201 for questions about arrest records or current inmates.
The Florida Sheriffs Association page for Highlands County has information about the current sheriff and office contact details. Under Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes, arrest records are public. The Highlands County Sheriff must provide mugshots, charge sheets, and booking details to anyone who asks. You do not need to give a reason for your request. The law treats all requesters the same, whether you are a journalist, a family member, or just someone looking up a name.
Highlands County shares the 10th Judicial Circuit with Hardee and Polk counties. This means the circuit court covers a large area of central Florida, and some records may be searched through the circuit court clerk as well.
| Address | 338 South Orange Street, Sebring, FL 33870 |
|---|---|
| Phone | 863.402.7201 |
| Sheriff Info | Florida Sheriffs Association - Highlands County |
Search Highlands County Booking Records
Looking for busted mugshots in Highlands County starts with the sheriff's office. Contact them at 863.402.7201 to ask about current inmates or recent bookings. The staff can look up records by name or booking number. If they have an online inmate search tool, the sheriff's office can point you to it directly.
Statewide tools also cover Highlands County. The Florida Jail Information System run by the Florida Sheriffs Association collects booking data from agencies across the state. You can search for recently booked people within 24, 48, or 72 hours. Highlands County feeds data into this system. The Florida Department of State also maintains a directory of county jail search tools that includes Highlands County.
The Florida Department of Corrections offender search is useful if someone has moved from the Highlands County jail to the state prison system. It shows their current location, sentence details, and release dates. This covers all state correctional facilities across Florida.
Note: Highlands County is a mid-sized county, so the sheriff's office may have a more limited online presence than larger counties like Hillsborough or Orange.
Highlands County Arrest Records Law
All arrest records in Highlands County are governed by Florida's public records law. Section 119.01 says that all state, county, and municipal records are open for personal inspection and copying. This covers mugshots, booking data, charge details, and bond amounts. The Highlands County Sheriff cannot refuse a records request unless a specific exemption applies.
The Florida Sheriffs Association provides information about the Highlands County Sheriff's Office. The screenshot below shows the association's page for Highlands County.
There are a few exemptions that apply in Highlands County. Under Section 119.071, booking photos of law enforcement officers can be withheld if the officer submits a written request. This is meant to protect officer safety. Information about victims of sexual offenses is also kept confidential. But these exemptions are narrow. The vast majority of arrest records in Highlands County remain fully open to the public.
Highlands County Jail Booking Steps
When someone is arrested in Highlands County, they are brought to the county jail in Sebring for booking. It does not matter which agency made the arrest. The Sebring Police, Avon Park Police, and Lake Placid Police all bring their arrests to the Highlands County jail for processing.
The booking process in Highlands County includes these steps:
- Taking the mugshot photograph
- Recording personal details like name and date of birth
- Entering all criminal charges into the system
- Setting bond amounts based on the charge schedule
- Running checks for active warrants
This information becomes part of the public record in Highlands County almost immediately. Bond amounts depend on the charges. A simple misdemeanor might carry a bond of a few hundred dollars. Serious felonies can mean very high bonds or no bond set at all. People stay at the Highlands County jail until they post bond, a judge orders their release, or they get transferred elsewhere. The jail has limited capacity, so transfers to larger regional facilities happen when needed.
Highlands County Records Requests
You can get copies of arrest records from the Highlands County Sheriff's Office through a public records request. Call 863.402.7201, send a letter, or go to the office at 338 South Orange Street in Sebring. Florida law allows anonymous requests. You do not need to explain why you want the records.
Copy fees in Highlands County match the state standard. Pages cost 15 cents for single-sided and 20 cents for double-sided copies. Certified copies run up to $1.00 each. Extensive requests may come with labor charges, but the office must provide an estimate first. For criminal history checks that go beyond Highlands County, the FDLE charges $24 for a statewide search covering all 67 Florida counties. Contact them at 850.410.8109 or email publicrecords@fdle.state.fl.us.
Removing Highlands County Arrest Records
If you want to remove your mugshot from Highlands County public records, Florida law provides two options. Court-ordered sealing under Section 943.059 hides the record from public view. Court-ordered expungement under Section 943.0585 physically destroys it. Both paths go through the FDLE seal and expunge process.
The fee is $75 by money order. Processing takes about 12 weeks from the time FDLE gets your completed application. Once approved, the Highlands County Sheriff removes the record from their public files. Third-party websites are not bound by the court order, though. If a private site already copied your Highlands County mugshot, the site does not have to take it down. That is a statewide issue, not something unique to Highlands County.
Note: Not every arrest qualifies for sealing or expungement under Florida law, and you generally cannot use this process more than once.
Cities in Highlands County
Highlands County has three main cities: Sebring, Avon Park, and Lake Placid. None of these meet the population threshold for a separate page. Sebring is the county seat and the largest city. All arrests across these communities go through the Highlands County jail for booking and processing.
Nearby Counties
These counties border Highlands County. Check their databases if you are unsure where someone was arrested and booked.