Juvenile names are NOT automatically confidential. More than 20 years ago, the Florida Legislature decided to alter the traditional practice of keeping juvenile arrest records confidential. At first, only 16 and 17 year olds charged with felonies were subject to having their name released. The age restriction was completely removed on October 1, 1994. Now, all felony arrests, regardless of the age of the defendant, are public record. We cannot legally with-hold our arrest reports from inspection and copying by the news media or by any citizen. By law, the media are free to publish this information. Note that for juveniles this change applies only to felony cases and misdemeanors in which the child has been found by a court to have committed three prior misdemeanors. For the first three misdemeanors, juvenile confidentiality still applies. Interestingly, juvenile traffic citations have never been considered confidential, regardless of the age of the alleged violator.
