Access Highlands County Booking Reports

Highlands County booking reports are managed by the Sheriff's Office in Sebring, Florida. Located in the south-central part of the state, Highlands County has a population of around 108,000 and covers a mix of rural land and small towns. The sheriff runs the county jail and records all arrests that take place here. Booking data is public under Florida law, and you can get it by reaching out to the sheriff's office or by using state-level search tools. If you want to look up a recent arrest or find out if someone is in the Highlands County jail, there are several ways to search.

Highlands County Sheriff's Office

The Highlands County Sheriff's Office sits on South Orange Street in Sebring. Every arrest in the county goes through this office. Deputies bring people to the jail where staff handle the booking process. They take fingerprints, a photo, and log the charge details. The booking report gets entered into the county system and becomes a public record. You can reach the office at 863.402.7201 to ask about any booking in Highlands County.

The Florida Sheriffs Association page for Highlands County has contact info and details about the current sheriff. This is a good resource if you need to verify the right phone number or address for the office. The sheriff's association covers all 67 counties, and each one has its own profile page.

The sheriff's profile page gives you basic background on the office and the current sheriff. For booking-specific data, you will need to contact the Highlands County jail directly. Staff can look up a name and tell you if that person is in custody, what the charges are, and what the bond is set at.

How to Get Highlands County Booking Data

There are a few paths to get booking reports from Highlands County. The most direct one is a phone call to the jail. Give them a name and they will check the system. You can also visit in person at the Sebring office. A third option is to send a written public records request. The sheriff must respond under Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes, which says all government records are open to the public.

A Highlands County booking report typically includes the person's full name, date of birth, the charges, the date and time of the arrest, the arresting officer, and the bond amount. If the person has been released, that info is there too. The booking photo is also part of the record. Under Chapter 943, arrest data for felonies and misdemeanors gets sent to FDLE at the state level, so Highlands County bookings feed into a bigger system over time.

Some data stays private. Juvenile records are not public unless the charge would be a felony for an adult. Medical notes and mental health info are also exempt. But the basic booking data is open to all in Highlands County.

State Search Tools for Highlands County

If the county jail cannot help, try the state databases. The Florida Department of Corrections search covers all state inmates. Someone who was arrested in Highlands County and later sent to a state prison will show up there. The data gets a full refresh every week, and release dates update each night.

The Florida Department of State runs a jail directory with addresses and phone numbers for every county. This is useful if you need to reach the Highlands County jail or look up a neighboring county. The FDLE sex offender search is another statewide tool that covers all 67 counties.

Highlands County is part of the 10th Judicial Circuit. This circuit also covers Hardee and Polk counties. If you are not sure which county handled an arrest, you may want to check with all three. Each one keeps separate booking records.

Note: State databases cover people who went to prison after sentencing, not those held at the Highlands County jail before trial.

Highlands County Mugshot Protections

The jail takes a booking photo for every arrest in Highlands County. These photos are public records. You can ask for a copy just like any other part of the booking report. But there are rules about how mugshots get used online.

Under Section 901.43 of the Florida Statutes, it is a violation for any website to charge money for taking down a booking photo. If a site posts your Highlands County mugshot and demands payment to remove it, you can take them to court. The fine is $1,000 per day after a 10-day window from your written removal request. The fine jumps to $5,000 per day if the photo gets posted again after it was removed. Keep proof of your request and the date you sent it. This law covers everyone booked in Florida.

Nearby Counties

Highlands County borders several central and south Florida counties. Each one runs its own sheriff's office and jail.