To check how to check clemency status in Florida, contact the Office of Executive Clemency directly by phone at (850) 488-2952, toll-free at 1-800-435-8286, or by email at ClemencyWeb@fcor.state.fl.us. The online search tool on the Florida Commission on Offender Review (FCOR) website only shows clemency that has already been granted, so a pending application will not appear there.1Florida Commission on Offender Review. Home – RCRGrants Florida’s process is slow, and some applications take years to reach a decision, so knowing where your case stands and what each status term means saves real frustration.
Information to Have Ready Before You Call
Staff at the Office of Executive Clemency use specific identifiers to locate a file. Gather these before you pick up the phone or write an email:
- Full legal name, including any name you used at the time of conviction
- Date of birth
- Florida Department of Corrections (DC) number
- Social Security number
- The home address, phone number, and email you listed on your original application
- The prison or probation number tied to your conviction
If you don’t remember your DC number, the Florida Department of Corrections runs an offender search at fdc.myflorida.com that pulls records by name. You can also call the department and give your name and date of birth. Having the DC number in hand before you contact the Office of Executive Clemency speeds the call up considerably.
What the Online Search Actually Shows
FCOR’s website has a Restoration of Civil Rights search tool, and it is worth understanding what it can and can’t do. The tool returns results only for civil rights the Board of Executive Clemency has already granted. It will not show a pending application, and it will not tell you whether you’re eligible for clemency at all.1Florida Commission on Offender Review. Home – RCRGrants
To use the search, enter your first and last name as they appeared at the time of conviction, along with either your date of birth or your DC number. If your rights were granted without a hearing, you can retrieve your certificate from this page. If the search returns nothing, that does not mean you were denied. In most cases it simply means no decision has been entered yet.
How to Reach the Office of Executive Clemency
For a pending application, direct contact is the only reliable way to get a status update. The office accepts inquiries several ways:
- Phone: (850) 488-2952 or toll-free 1-800-435-8286
- Email: ClemencyWeb@fcor.state.fl.us
- Fax: (850) 488-0695
- Mail: Office of Executive Clemency, Florida Commission on Offender Review, 4070 Esplanade Way, Tallahassee, FL 32399-2450
Phone and email get answers fastest. When you call, have your identifying information ready so the representative can pull up your file quickly. If you write by mail, include your full name, date of birth, DC number, and any case or application number you received when you submitted. Mail inquiries work, but expect a slower turnaround.2Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability. Florida Commission on Offender Review – OPPAGA
What Each Status Term Means
When someone at the Office of Executive Clemency describes your case, they’ll use specific language. Here is what to listen for:
- Application Received. Your paperwork arrived and is in the system, but no one has reviewed it yet.
- Under Review. Staff are checking your application for completeness and eligibility.
- Investigative Phase. Your application passed initial screening, and a Commission investigator is gathering additional information, which may include interviews and background checks.2Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability. Florida Commission on Offender Review – OPPAGA
- Recommended for Approval or Denial. The Commission has finished investigating and made its recommendation to the Board of Executive Clemency.
- Granted. The Board approved your request. For a restoration of civil rights, your certificate should be available through the online search tool.
- Denied. The Board rejected your request. Reapplication is possible after a waiting period.
- Administratively Closed. Your case was closed without a decision on the merits. This usually happens when an applicant stops responding to requests for information, withdraws the application, or no longer meets eligibility requirements.
If your status shows “administratively closed” and you did not withdraw, call to find out why. Often the office tried to reach the applicant and got no response, and refiling may be possible.
How Long the Process Actually Takes
This is where most applicants get discouraged. Florida’s clemency process involves significant waiting at every stage. After the Office of Executive Clemency receives your application, it screens for eligibility and required documents. Applications that pass screening move to the investigative phase. From there, the case eventually goes to the Board of Executive Clemency for a vote.
Restoration of civil rights applications generally take one to seven years from submission to decision. Requests for firearm authority take longer, often three to twelve years. The Board of Executive Clemency meets only a few times per year, and initial responses alone can take over three years. The pending volume is large, and the backlog has been a known problem for more than a decade.
Several factors affect how long a case takes: the type of clemency sought, the complexity of the criminal history, whether additional investigation is needed, and how quickly the Board can schedule the case. There is no real way to accelerate review, but keeping your contact information current with the Office of Executive Clemency prevents your case from being administratively closed for a missed communication.
If You Get Denied
A denial is not the end. Florida allows reapplication, but you have to wait. For most forms of clemency, the wait is two years from the date the denial became final. For a commutation of sentence, it is five years. Restoration of civil rights has its own reapplication timeline.
When you reapply, the process starts over from the beginning. If the original denial rested on incomplete documentation or unresolved legal issues, fixing those problems before resubmitting will strengthen the new file. Many repeat applications fail for the same reasons as the first one.
Federal Convictions Use a Different System
Florida’s process only covers state convictions. Federal pardons and commutations go through the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of the Pardon Attorney, which does offer an online status checker. You can search by clemency case file number, Bureau of Prisons register number, or name, and the database covers cases opened since 1989.3United States Department of Justice. Search for a Case
A result of “Pending” means the case is open and under review, but the office will not share details about where it stands internally. For questions, the preferred contact is email at USPardon.Attorney@usdoj.gov, or by phone at (202) 616-6070.3United States Department of Justice. Search for a Case