Lots of small Broward cases never involve a jail cell. The officer writes a notice to appear, you sign it, and you show up on the date it names. Get arrested, though, and BSO deputies take you to Central Intake. People still inside by morning see a magistrate at first appearance, which Florida requires within 24 hours, even on Sundays. BSO says those Main Jail hearings usually kick off around 8 a.m., and relatives may watch on lobby monitors. Until the magistrate rules, release amounts come from the 2026 statewide bond schedule, a Florida Supreme Court list that names the smallest bond allowed per offense. Put simply, a bond is money or a pledge left with the court so the judge trusts you to return. Domestic violence and certain other arrests mean waiting for the magistrate no matter what. State-licensed bondsmen near the Fort Lauderdale jail usually collect a 10% premium when posting a state bond.

Who prosecutes? The Seventeenth Circuit State Attorney, elected by Broward voters, handles every state crime here. Who defends Broward defendants who can't pay a lawyer? The Broward Public Defender, also elected, whose main office is in the SE 6th Street courthouse; a judge decides who qualifies. Conflict cases can be assigned to regional conflict counsel or to private court-appointed attorneys. Under Florida Statute 938.29, a Broward judge can order a convicted person to pay back the cost of that defense, and unpaid fees may turn into a lien.

Penalties stay modest in Broward County Court. A first-degree misdemeanor, DUI for example, can bring as much as a year inside a BSO jail, and the fine may hit $1,000. For a second-degree misdemeanor, Broward judges can go no higher than 60 days and $500. Diversion programs and specialty courts, like mental health court, give some defendants a path to dismissal. The speedy trial rule calls for a Broward misdemeanor trial within 90 days of formal charges, a deadline defendants may give up. Six jurors hear these trials.

Under 18: Broward teens charged with crimes go to the Circuit Court's juvenile division. For many first-time minor offenses, a Fort Lauderdale or BSO officer may skip the arrest and issue a Section 985.12 civil citation; the teen completes assigned tasks and keeps a clean record. A held Broward youth gets a detention hearing within 24 hours, where the judge chooses home or secure detention.

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Once first appearance is over, a Broward felony file lands with a Circuit Court judge at the downtown courthouse. Prosecutors read the BSO or city police report and, if they decide to go forward, file an information listing the formal charges. The accused then enters a plea at arraignment. During discovery, each side hands over its evidence, and a string of pretrial hearings follows.

How long can a Broward felony sentence be? It depends on the degree. Third-degree crimes, including grand theft over $750 and most drug possession, cap out at 5 years of prison time. Second-degree crimes, such as a home burglary, cap out at 15. First-degree crimes cap out at 30. Next comes Florida’s Criminal Punishment Code scoresheet, which turns the charge and the person’s record into points, and the total sets the lowest sentence Broward judges may impose without special reasons. Once in prison, a person has to serve 85% of the time, at minimum. Felony drug court and veterans treatment court are options for some defendants.

Broward felonies get a 175-day speedy trial clock, but in Broward’s busy courtrooms the defense often waives it. Non-capital felony juries are six people.

Under 18: A Broward teen held on a felony goes to the Broward Juvenile Detention Center on NW 22nd Avenue, which the Department of Juvenile Justice runs. Prosecutors in Fort Lauderdale may use Section 985.557 to “direct file,” which means charging the teen in adult court. In Broward, most felony charges qualify for youths of 16 or 17, while only a set of grave offenses qualifies at ages 14 and 15. Mandatory direct file ended statewide in 2019, leaving the call to Broward’s elected State Attorney.

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A violent charge travels the same Broward Circuit Court route, with much higher stakes. The State Attorney may ask for pretrial detention, urging the judge to hold the defendant with no bond. Guns bring in the 10-20-Life statute (Section 775.087). For crimes on its list, holding a firearm sets a minimum of 10 years; pulling the trigger, 20; injuring or killing a victim with the shot, 25 years up to life. Certain sexual batteries and armed carjackings rank as life felonies.

At the very top is the capital felony, usually first-degree murder. In Broward, that charge requires a grand jury indictment and a trial in front of 12 jurors, and the only sentences are death or life without parole. A 2023 law lowered the bar for a death verdict in Broward and statewide: 8 of the 12 votes, not all 12. Broward men sentenced to death are sent to Union Correctional Institution near Raiford; women condemned to death stay at Lowell.

Florida’s constitution protects Broward crime victims through the Marsy’s Law amendment Floridians passed in 2018 (Article I, Section 16(b)). Any Broward victim can ask the State Attorney for notice of each court date, sit in on the case, and address the judge when a plea deal or sentence is on the table. Seventeenth Circuit victim advocates can help.

Under 18: If the charge carries death or life, Section 985.56 lets a Broward grand jury indict any child, however young, and move the case to adult court. No Broward defendant can face execution for something done as a minor.

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A quick first step is the clerk's public Case Search, which lists felony and misdemeanor files with any capias noted. Seventeenth Circuit warrants are held and served by BSO, the Sheriff's Office, at (954) 764-4357; staff want a legal name and birth date. Through a defense lawyer, you can walk in at Central Intake on SE 1st Avenue, or the lawyer can ask the court to recall the warrant. SE Sixth Street is home to the Clerk of Courts for new dates. FDLE's statewide wanted persons search widens the net to other agencies.

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