How to Apply for a Governor’s Pardon in Florida

To apply for a Governor’s pardon in Florida, you file a free Application for Clemency with the Florida Commission on Offender Review, attach certified court documents and character letters, and wait for the state to investigate and the Board of Executive Clemency to decide. The Board is made up of the Governor and the three Cabinet members, and a pardon requires the Governor plus at least two Cabinet members to agree.¹ Most applicants need to have been off supervision, arrest-free, and largely debt-free for at least ten years before the Board will even look at the file.

Confirm You Are Eligible

The Rules of Executive Clemency set hard thresholds you must clear before a full pardon application is considered:

At least ten years have passed since you completed every part of your most recent felony sentence, including prison or jail time, probation, parole, and community supervision.
You owe no outstanding victim restitution.
Any remaining court-ordered fines, fees, or other financial penalties from criminal convictions total $1,000 or less.
You have had no new arrests or criminal charges during the waiting period. A new arrest resets the clock.
You have no outstanding warrants or detainers.

Florida can only pardon Florida state convictions. A federal conviction has to go through a presidential pardon application with the U.S. Department of Justice, and an out-of-state conviction has to be addressed through the clemency process in the state where it happened.²

Decide Whether a Full Pardon Is What You Need

A full pardon is the hardest form of Florida clemency to obtain, and many applicants qualify for a lesser form of relief that would still solve their problem. Restoration of Civil Rights gives back everything except firearm authority and has a shorter path: applicants who previously had civil rights restored and then picked up a new felony must wait at least seven years after completing the non-financial terms of that later sentence, and applicants who have never had rights restored may face no waiting period at all, though they still must have finished their sentence.³ A Pardon Without Firearm Authority forgives guilt and restores every citizenship right except gun rights. A full pardon is the only option that also restores the right to own, possess, and use firearms.²

If firearm rights are part of your goal, note that the Board will not consider firearm authority for convictions from federal or out-of-state courts. You would need relief from the pardoning authority in that jurisdiction first.²

Complete the Application for Clemency

There is no filing fee. The application form, titled “Application for Clemency,” is available for download from the Florida Commission on Offender Review website.⁴ The form asks for your personal history, employment history, family information, a full accounting of every arrest and charge, and a written explanation of both the circumstances of the offense and your reasons for seeking a pardon.

Be exhaustive and truthful on the arrest history. Investigators are thorough, and an omission or inconsistency does more damage to your case than the underlying fact ever would.

Gather the Supporting Documents

Along with the form, the Board expects a documentary record that lets it verify the conviction and evaluate your rehabilitation:

Certified copies of the charging document (the indictment or information) for each conviction.
Certified copies of the judgment and sentence for every conviction.
Proof that you have completed all parts of your sentence.
Letters of character reference from people who can speak to your rehabilitation with specific examples.

The character letters carry real weight. Letters from employers, community leaders, faith leaders, and others who have seen your day-to-day life since the conviction are more persuasive than generic endorsements. Each letter should describe concrete examples of your contributions and changed behavior rather than vague praise. A stack of detailed, credible letters from different corners of your life paints a picture the application form cannot.

You are not required to hire an attorney. Many applicants do, and legal fees for clemency cases typically run between $3,000 and $15,000 depending on the complexity of your criminal history and how much help you need assembling the package.

What Happens After You File

Once you submit the completed application, the Office of Executive Clemency opens an investigation to verify what you provided.² Investigators contact your character references, reach out to employers, check with law enforcement agencies, and assemble a verified report for the Board.

Not every case gets a live hearing. When the application and investigative report present a clear basis for a decision either way, the Board may act on the written record alone. If a hearing is scheduled, you will be notified to appear before the Board in Tallahassee. You will have the chance to speak directly to the Governor and Cabinet, answer their questions, and explain why you deserve a pardon. Family members, victims, and other interested parties may also be allowed to speak.

The Board votes on the spot. The Governor and at least two Cabinet members must agree. You will receive formal written notification of the outcome, and if the pardon is granted, it takes effect once it is signed and filed with the Secretary of State.²

How Long the Process Takes

Florida has a large clemency backlog, and the Board can only review a limited number of cases at each meeting. The initial review of your application alone can take six months to a year. The investigation phase commonly stretches one to three years. From start to finish, expect the entire process to take anywhere from one to five years, and some cases run longer.

There is nothing you can do to meaningfully speed up the timeline once your application is in. What you can control is submitting a complete, accurate application the first time, because incomplete packages get returned and you lose your place in line. Keep your record spotless while you wait. A new arrest at any point before the Board acts will almost certainly result in a denial and reset the eligibility clock.

What a Pardon Will Not Do

A Florida pardon forgives the conviction and restores your rights, but it does not erase your criminal record. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has stated that neither a full pardon nor any other type of executive clemency will automatically expunge or facilitate the expungement of your criminal history record.⁵ Background checks will still show the conviction. Sealing or expungement is a separate legal process with its own eligibility rules.

A pardon also does not remove obligations imposed on sex offenders. Registration and notification requirements for anyone classified as a sexual predator or sexual offender survive even a Restoration of Civil Rights.³

1
Florida Laws. Florida Constitution Article IV – Section 8 Clemency
2
Florida Commission on Offender Review. Clemency
3
Florida Commission on Offender Review. Frequently Asked Questions – Clemency
4
Florida Commission on Offender Review. Apply for Restoration of Civil Rights, Pardon, Firearm Authority and Other Forms of Clemency
5
Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Frequently Asked Questions