What should I expect at the Broward Central Courthouse and Main Jail after an arrest?

Downtown Fort Lauderdale is where booking happens for every Broward arrest, whichever city or agency made it. The Main Jail and the courthouse stand side by side, and the first day usually moves between the two. This page sets out what the Sheriff, the State Attorney and the Clerk publish about them. For the rest of the county, including the regional courthouses, see our Broward County DUI and criminal defense page.

What happens downtown, step by step?

1. Transport to Central Intake. Every Broward agency brings arrests to the BSO Central Intake Bureau at the Main Jail.
2. Booking and checks. BSO completes property intake, medical screening, fingerprints, photographs and a warrants check.
3. Bond, if allowed. Family checks the charge and bond by phone, online or at the lobby window and posts bond.
4. First appearance. Anyone not released goes before the judge in Courtroom 04155, West Wing, the day after the arrest.
5. Release or assignment. The person is released on bond or conditions, or assigned to one of BSO's four jails.
6. The case moves on. The next hearing is at the Central Courthouse or a regional courthouse, as the notice says.

What happens at Central Intake in the Main Jail?

The Broward Sheriff's Office says arrested people are first transported to its Central Intake Bureau at the Main Jail, which handles booking for every law enforcement agency in the county. BSO warns that the time it takes to process and release an eligible arrestee can depend on how many people are being processed at once and on how quickly information comes back from state and national databases.

BSO describes the Main Jail as an eight-story maximum security facility adjacent to the courthouse, built in 1985 for $41.6 million to hold 864 inmates and expanded in 1988 and 1992 to 1,538. A staff of 361 runs it, and besides booking it holds the pre-magistrate area, classification intake for all BSO jails and an infirmary. It is an all-male facility. People who are not released are assigned to one of four BSO jails using objective criteria, and BSO says the assignment is not based on how close the jail is to the person's home.

When is first appearance, and can the family watch?

Florida's Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.130 requires that an arrested person who has not been lawfully released be brought before a judge within 24 hours, in person or by audio-video technology. In Broward, the two agencies involved describe the schedule a little differently:

BSO says the judge informs the arrestee of the charges and, where appropriate, sets a bond. It also says that in misdemeanor cases the judge may accept a guilty plea and release the person on their own recognizance or for time served. A guilty plea at that hearing settles the case on the spot, and its effects can last long after the night in jail; our page on withhold of adjudication explains why the form of a plea matters. The State Attorney's Office adds that a request to drop the charges will not be addressed at first appearance; those requests go to its Victim Advocate Unit. What the judge must cover at the hearing is explained in what happens in the first 48 hours after an arrest.

How is bond posted at the Main Jail?

BSO's bond page gives (954) 982-6924 and (954) 982-6925 for charge and bond information, alongside its online Arrest Search and the 24-hour information window in the Main Jail lobby. It lists these ways to post bond:

BSO says a cash bond is refunded when the case is completed or a disposition order is issued, or 36 months from the bond date, whichever comes first, and that the check is mailed within 2 to 3 business days after the paperwork is presented. Under section 903.286, Florida Statutes, when someone other than a licensed bail bond agent posts a cash bond, the clerk must withhold from the refund any unpaid costs of prosecution, court fees, court costs and criminal penalties. More on how amounts are set is on our page about how bond works in Florida.

Where are the Clerk and the State Attorney in the courthouse complex?

• Clerk, traffic and misdemeanor: West Building, 1st floor, Room 01130, Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., excluding holidays.
• Clerk, felony: North Building, 1st floor, Room 1882, same hours.
• State Attorney, Main Office: Suite 07150 of the Broward County Judicial Complex, (954) 831-6955.

Later hearings may be here or at a regional courthouse in Deerfield Beach, Hollywood or Plantation. For first-time misdemeanor defendants, the State Attorney says eligibility for its Misdemeanor Diversion Program is decided at arraignment, and felony pretrial intervention applications are due within 45 days of arraignment; both are explained on our page about pretrial diversion in Palm Beach and Broward.

How does the family get the person's property back?

BSO says an inmate's property can be released to family or friends after the inmate completes a property voucher naming the person who will collect it. Pickup is between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m., seven days a week, at the BSO jail where the inmate is housed, with a government-issued photo ID.

What changes the answer?

• The charge. Charges on the list in section 903.011(6), such as domestic violence or a first- or second-degree felony, require a judge before release. Domestic cases are discussed on our domestic violence defense page.
• A misdemeanor plea at first appearance. BSO says the judge may accept a guilty plea in a misdemeanor case and release the person for time served; that ends the case, with lasting effects.
• An alleged victim's request. The State Attorney says requests to drop charges are not addressed at first appearance.
• The source of bond money. The person posting bond must show the funds did not come from the alleged crime (s. 903.046(2)(f)).
• A probation violation. The judge may hold the person for the court that granted probation (Rule 3.130(d)); our probation violation page explains what follows.

A worked example

For example, take a hypothetical Saturday-night arrest in Hollywood for a misdemeanor not on the section 903.011(6) list. The person is taken to Central Intake in downtown Fort Lauderdale, and the family looks up the arrest number with BSO's Arrest Search. They post the bond in cash at the Cash Bond window, which lists hours of 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., and release follows processing. If the family could not post bond, the person would see the magistrate judge on Sunday in Courtroom 04155, where the weekend docket generally begins by 8:30 a.m. under the State Attorney's schedule. At that hearing, the person could be offered a chance to plead guilty and go home for time served; with a lawyer's advice, the person might instead plead not guilty and keep the case open for a program or a defense. This is a hypothetical walk-through, not a prediction.

Common mistakes families make

• Driving to the regional jail nearest home when every arrest is booked downtown.
• Paying by card with someone else's card; BSO says the payer's ID must match.
• Taking a quick guilty plea at first appearance without advice.
• Expecting a cash bond refund in full; the clerk withholds unpaid costs and fees.

What to do this week

1. Get the arrest or CIS number from BSO.
2. Decide on cash or a bondsman and keep every receipt.
3. Collect property with a voucher and photo ID if needed.
4. Read the release paperwork for the next court date and courthouse.
5. Speak with a lawyer before arraignment, when program deadlines begin.

Questions people ask after a Broward arrest

• Court attendance is covered in whether you have to go to your arraignment.
• Early endings are explained in whether charges can be dropped before trial.
• Time limits are in Florida's speedy trial deadlines.
• Maximums by degree are in our chart of Florida criminal penalties.
• Felony ranges are explained in how a felony sentence is calculated.
• Self-defense claims are covered in stand-your-ground immunity.
• Gun charges are covered in felon in possession of a firearm.
• Carry rules are covered in concealed carry without a license.
• DUI steps are in what happens after a DUI arrest.
• The DUI license clock is in keeping your license within 10 days.
• The first week of a DUI case is in the DUI first-week checklist.
• Refusals are covered in refusing the breath test.
• Crash cases are covered in a DUI involving a crash.
• Towed cars are covered in what happens to your car after a DUI.

Traffic tickets

• Civil traffic tickets are handled by the Clerk, not at first appearance; the options are in whether to pay or contest a ticket in Broward.
• Suspensions from points are explained in how many points before a suspension.

Criminal traffic charges

• People booked for driving while suspended should read the suspended license page.
• Felony hit-and-run arrests reach first appearance here; the levels are in leaving the scene of a crash.
• Pursuit arrests are covered in fleeing or eluding police.
• Which traffic charges are crimes at all is explained in criminal or civil traffic citations.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the Broward Main Jail?

At 555 SE 1st Ave. in downtown Fort Lauderdale, next to the courthouse at 201 SE 6th Street.

Can I watch first appearance?

BSO says proceedings can be watched on a monitor in the Main Jail lobby, and the State Attorney lists a Zoom option for victims.

How long until someone is released?

BSO does not promise a time; it says processing depends on how many people are being booked and how quickly database checks return.

When can I get a cash bond back?

BSO says when the case is completed or a disposition order is issued, or 36 months from the bond date, whichever comes first, minus amounts the clerk must withhold.

How do I pick up the person's property?

After the inmate completes a property voucher naming you, between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. at the jail where the person is housed, with a government-issued photo ID.

How can Mr. Mead help after a Broward arrest?

A lawyer hired before first appearance must be given a reasonable time to get there, under Rule 3.130. Mr. Mead's practice is devoted entirely to criminal defense, and he works one-on-one with each client. Spanish and Portuguese are spoken, and you can call 24 hours. His background is on the firm overview page.

If the arrest happened north of the county line instead, see our Palm Beach County page. South of it, Miami-Dade bond hearings are covered in what to expect at the Gerstein Justice Building. For domestic violence arrests, see what happens after a domestic violence arrest.

Every case is different, and no result can be promised. If someone you love was taken to the Broward Main Jail, a confidential phone call to (561) 362-6677 is a sound first step.

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