Lee County Arrest Booking Records

Lee County booking reports are managed by the Sheriff's Office in Fort Myers, Florida. This is one of the fastest-growing counties in the state, with a large population spread across cities like Cape Coral, Fort Myers, and the barrier islands. The Lee County Sheriff's Office handles all jail operations and arrest processing for the county. You can search for booking information through their online tools or contact the office directly. Whether you need to check on a current inmate or look up a past arrest, there are several ways to get the records you need.

Lee County Sheriff's Office

The Lee County Sheriff's Office is based at 2115 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd in Fort Myers. The phone number is 239.477.1700. This agency runs the county jail, patrols unincorporated areas, and handles criminal investigations. Every arrest made in Lee County by the sheriff's deputies, local police, or state agencies gets processed through the Lee County jail. The booking report is created at that point and becomes a public record.

Lee County is part of the 20th Judicial Circuit. The sheriff's office serves a large population, and the jail handles a high volume of bookings compared to smaller Florida counties. Court hearings for people booked into the Lee County jail take place at the Lee County Justice Center in Fort Myers. The jail also houses people who are waiting for trial and those serving sentences of a year or less. Anyone sentenced to more than a year goes to the state prison system, and you would check the Florida Department of Corrections offender search for those inmates.

The sheriff's office offers arrest search tools through its website. This makes it one of the more accessible counties for people who need booking information quickly.

Search Lee County Booking Reports

The Lee County Sheriff's Office provides an arrest search tool for the public. You can use it to look up people who have been booked into the Lee County jail. The search works by name and returns results that show the booking date, charges, bond amount, and other details. This is the quickest way to check on a recent arrest in Lee County.

If the online tool does not have what you need, you can call the jail at 239.477.1700. Ask for inmate information. Staff can tell you if someone is in custody and share basic booking details over the phone. For a written copy of a booking report, submit a public records request to the sheriff's office. Under Florida Statute Chapter 119, booking reports are public records and anyone can ask for them. The office may charge a small copy fee, but it must be reasonable.

You can also try the Florida Department of State jail directory for updated links and contact info for the Lee County jail. This directory covers all 67 Florida counties and is maintained by the state government.

Note: The arrest search covers Lee County jail records and may not show people who have been transferred to state prison.

Lee County Arrest and Booking Process

When someone is arrested in Lee County, the booking process follows a standard set of steps. The person is brought to the county jail in Fort Myers. Staff take a booking photo, collect fingerprints, and record personal details like name, date of birth, and home address. Under Chapter 943 of the Florida Statutes, all of this biometric data for adults charged with felonies or misdemeanors must be submitted electronically to the statewide criminal justice information system.

After personal info is logged, charges are entered. A bond is set based on a bond schedule or by a judge at the first appearance hearing. Lee County holds first appearance hearings within 24 hours of an arrest. The judge reviews the case and decides whether to keep the bond, raise it, lower it, or release the person on their own recognizance. All of this information goes into the booking report and is public.

Lee County has a large jail that can house a significant number of inmates. The facility processes bookings around the clock. Because of the county's size and population, the daily booking count is among the higher ones in Southwest Florida.

Lee County Records and Florida Law

Florida has strong public records laws that apply to Lee County. Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes states that all state, county, and municipal records are open for personal inspection and copying by any person. Booking reports fall squarely within this law. You can ask to see any booking report from Lee County without giving a reason.

Chapter 901 covers arrest procedures in Florida. Section 901.43 deals specifically with booking photos. The law makes it illegal for a for-profit website to charge money to remove a booking photograph. If your photo from a Lee County arrest ends up on one of these sites and they want money to take it down, you can send a written removal request. The site has 10 days to comply. After that, civil penalties kick in at $1,000 per day, rising to $5,000 per day if the photo gets reposted.

Certain records are exempt from public access. Juvenile records are confidential under most circumstances. Medical and mental health files are not released. If a court has sealed or expunged a record, that booking report is removed from public view. But for standard adult arrests in Lee County, the booking report stays open to anyone who wants to see it.

State Resources for Lee County

The Florida Department of Corrections runs a statewide inmate search that covers everyone in state prison. If someone was arrested in Lee County and sent to a state facility, this is where you look. The FDC database includes current inmates, recent releases, absconders, and supervised populations. The data is completely refreshed each week, and release dates update nightly.

The FDLE sexual offender and predator search is another free tool that covers all of Florida. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement maintains this database. You can search by name, address, or zip code. For criminal history requests that go beyond booking reports, contact FDLE at 850.410.7000.

The FDC search shown above covers inmates across the entire Florida prison system, which complements the Lee County jail search for people who have been transferred after sentencing.

Cities in Lee County

Lee County has several cities, and all arrests within the county go through the Lee County Sheriff's Office for booking. The two largest cities have their own pages on this site.

Other communities in Lee County include Bonita Springs, Estero, Lehigh Acres, and Sanibel. All of these areas file their arrests through the Lee County jail in Fort Myers.

Nearby Counties

These counties are next to Lee County in Southwest Florida. If you are looking for an arrest that may have happened in a neighboring area, try these.