It is often emotionally and financially draining to go through an arrest and then pay bail to get out of jail. Depending on your finances, the charges against you and your criminal history in Florida, you may be able to pay your bail in full on your own. If you cannot, then you will have to work with a company that will put up the bond money for you. You will have to pay that company a percentage of the bond as part of the agreement to assist you. In either situation, once your case is over, you may wonder if you can get your bail money back. There is not only one answer to that question because it depends on the circumstances.
If you pay your bail money in full on your own, the Hernando Country Clerk of Circuit Court & Comptroller explains that you can get the money back at the completion of your case. There are a couple of things to note about getting your money back in this situation:
- Make sure to provide the clerk with your current address
- Any money you owe for court costs or fines in this or any case you have within the court system will come out of your bond
It is a different situation entirely if you used a bond agent to post bail for you. In this situation, the RoundTree Bonding Agency states that you will probably not get any of the money back that you paid to the bond agent.
Most often for minor crimes, you will not have a large bail amount set by the judge, so you may be able to pay it out of pocket without assistance. If you can do this and you want the money back, then this is the best option. However, if you have a criminal history or the crime is more severe, you may have no choice but to use a bond agent. Just be aware that you will probably not get your money back. You may find it helpful to focus more on your defense strategy in this situation than worrying about your bond money.