Suwannee County Juvenile Detention Center Inmate Bail & Bonds
Suwannee County bail and bond: Live Oak jail, Third Circuit schedule, and first steps
People arrested in Suwannee County are booked into the Suwannee County Jail in Live Oak, which the Sheriff's Office runs.
For custody and the bond, check Suwannee County Inmate Search. If the search leaves questions, the jail's listed number is 386-364-3595.
Suwannee sits in Florida's Third Judicial Circuit, whose chief judge signed a bond schedule in January 2026. bail and bond help starts below.
1. Is someone held at the Live Oak jail?
Enter the full name on Suwannee County Inmate Search. Suwannee's listing shows the charges and bond once the person is booked. Suwannee can take a while to list a brand-new arrest. Try again after a few hours. When you still cannot find the name, call 386-364-3595 and ask which agency brought the person in.
2. Where exactly is the Suwannee jail, and which office runs it?
The jail is at 305 Pine Avenue, Live Oak, FL 32064, and the Suwannee County Sheriff's Office runs it. The sheriff's headquarters is at 200 Ohio Avenue South, phone 386-362-2222. Suwannee's sheriff contact page also lists 386-364-3778 for the jail, so call either. The jail allows no contact visits; visits are set up online through the jail's video visit service.
3. What are the bond amounts in this circuit?
The Third Judicial Circuit's Administrative Order 2026-001, signed January 7, 2026, sets amounts for people released before they see a judge. In Suwannee, it sets a third-degree felony with force or threat at $10,000. Third-degree felony without force, $5,000. First-degree misdemeanor with force, $2,500. First-degree misdemeanor without force, $1,000. Second-degree misdemeanors, $1,000.
These figures are for the pre-hearing release schedule only. They do not bind a judge, and they do not cover the serious offenses listed in the next answers. The order is posted on the Third Circuit website.
4. What does a DUI bond look like?
Under the same order, a DUI or boating-under-the-influence charge that is a first-degree misdemeanor carries $5,000. A second offense charged as a second-degree misdemeanor carries $2,500. The order lists $2,000 when a first DUI is charged as a second-degree misdemeanor. Which one applies depends on how the arrest paper reads, so check the inmate search for the actual figure.
5. Who has to wait for a judge?
Under the order and Florida Statutes section 903.011, some people cannot be released until a first appearance. The list includes sex offenders and predators, alleged injunction violators, and people arrested repeatedly in six months. Listed serious charges, such as homicide, felony battery, robbery, burglary, and trafficking, are also on the list. For those, the schedule says "None. First appearance required."
6. When does the judge see my relative?
Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.130 calls for a first appearance within 24 hours of arrest, and Suwannee may hold it by video. The judge looks at the charges, sets the release terms, and decides whether the person qualifies for a free lawyer. The order also lets a person it calls an unauthorized alien, arrested on a forcible felony, ask for a delay of up to 48 hours. The person stays in custody during any delay.
7. Can the amount be changed?
Yes, but only by a judge. Only a Suwannee judge may set, lower, or change bail (section 903.011). A Suwannee lawyer can request a smaller amount, and the judge may weigh whether the person can pay. Bail requests must be truthful and complete under section 903.035, or the judge can revoke or change the release later.
8. How and where do I pay?
Suwannee's Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller, 200 South Ohio Avenue, 386-362-0500, opens 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Ask the jail desk, 386-364-3595, whether the jail or the clerk takes payment and which kinds of money it accepts. Have a photo ID, the defendant’s legal name, the booking number and every dollar of the bond ready. The same dollar amount applies whether the bond is cash or surety, under section 903.011. Keep every receipt.
9. What should I ask a bail agent?
Check that the agent is licensed in Florida. The Florida Department of Financial Services sets the Suwannee premium at 10 percent, so a $5,000 bond costs $500. Once the agent gets the person out, that fee is kept; if the person never leaves jail, the agent must give it back. Any collateral should be returned within 21 days after the court closes the bond. In Suwannee, get all this, plus your duties if the person skips court, on paper before signing.
10. Will Suwannee land or a house work as security?
Maybe. Suwannee sureties that aren't companies need to live in Florida or hold land there (section 903.05). The clerk must tell you how Suwannee County handles the paperwork and how much equity it wants. Begin by phoning the Suwannee clerk, 386-362-0500; it takes longer than cash.
11. What conditions travel with a released person in Suwannee County?
The Third Circuit order requires a released person to obey the law and have no contact with any victim, except through pretrial discovery. A violation can lead to bond revocation. For drug arrests, the order adds zero tolerance for illegal drug use, and random testing can be ordered. Every separate charge gets a separate bond.
12. What if the bond came with a warrant?
The Third Circuit order says the schedule does not apply to pre-set bonds. If the warrant itself carries a bond, plan on that number until a judge changes it. Look on Suwannee County Inmate Search for the bond listed on each charge, and ask the jail whether more than one hold is attached.
13. Where would a teen from Suwannee County be held?
Suwannee County youth are screened by the Department of Juvenile Justice at 3440 NE 39th Avenue, Gainesville, 352-955-2105. The Alachua Regional Juvenile Detention Center at that address serves Suwannee County and holds 45 youth. Visits run Thursday from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m., for parents, grandparents, and guardians. Suwannee juvenile cases stay private and off the adult search.
14. How does a free lawyer get assigned?
Suwannee's first appearance judge decides whether the person can afford counsel. Under Rule 3.130, a person who qualifies and wants one gets a lawyer appointed immediately, before anything else happens. The Public Defender for the Third Circuit takes those cases. The circuit office is at 108 North Jefferson Street, Suite 301, Perry, 850-838-2830. Ask there which attorney handles Suwannee County.
15. What if a court date is skipped?
Suwannee courts may forfeit the bond, and the clerk must notify the bonding company (section 903.26). A new warrant can follow, and a person who failed to appear may not be eligible for a recognizance bond the next time (section 903.046). Get a lawyer on the phone, then the agent, before the day is over.
16. Which calls and texts are scams?
A Suwannee caller wanting gift cards, wires to a person, or payment within minutes isn't the jail. End the call and dial the Suwannee jail yourself at 386-364-3595. Jail account deposits are not bail and won't get anyone out.
17. How do ICE holds work at the Suwannee jail?
- With Form I-247A, ICE can ask the Suwannee jail to keep a person.
- That extra hold in Suwannee lasts up to 48 hours.
- In Suwannee, weekends and holidays count toward those 48 hours.
- Posting bond in Suwannee does not end an ICE hold.
- Under F.S. 908.105, the Suwannee judge setting bond must hear about it.
- The Suwannee prosecutor is told too.
- Every Florida jail sheriff, Suwannee included, must join 287(g) (F.S. 908.11).
- For Suwannee, ICE's 287(g) list shows:
- Task Force Model
- Warrant Service Officer
- If ICE takes someone from Suwannee, search the ICE detainee locator.
Suwannee County contacts
- Jail
- Suwannee County Jail, 305 Pine Avenue, Live Oak, FL 32064; 386-364-3595
- Bond guide
- Bail and bond instructions
- Custody lookup
- Suwannee County Inmate Search
- Sheriff
- Sam St. John, 200 Ohio Avenue South, Live Oak; 386-362-2222
- Clerk and courthouse
- 200 South Ohio Avenue, Live Oak, FL 32064; 386-362-0500
- Public defender
- 108 North Jefferson Street, Suite 301, Perry, FL 32347; 850-838-2830
- Bond schedule
- Third Circuit Administrative Order 2026-001
- Juvenile
- Alachua Regional Juvenile Detention Center, 3440 NE 39th Avenue, Gainesville, FL 32609; 352-955-2105
Suwannee amounts, hours, and payment methods change, and a judge may set something else in your case. Phone the jail first, before wiring money or driving to Live Oak. This Suwannee overview can't replace a lawyer.
Suwannee County Juvenile Detention Center
Address:
305 Pine Ave SW
Live Oak, FL 32609
Phone:
386-362-2222
Frequently Asked Questions about Bail and Bonds in Suwannee County
Does Suwannee County have bail?
What kind of bonds are accepted in Suwannee County?
Who can set bail in Suwannee County?
When is bail set in Suwannee County Florida?
Does Suwannee County have bail?
Yes, Suwannee County has bail and recognizes most types of bonds.
As of January 1, 2024, Florida moved to a statewide uniform bond schedule. The uniform bond schedule may change every year. The Suwannee County Juvenile Detention Center will let you know the amount of the bond.
Under most circumstances your bond amount is set during the booking process, and you are eligible to bond out prior to going to court. Prior to January 1, 2024, each county set their own bond schedule. For more serious crimes, bond will be set at the first appearance.
What kind of bonds are accepted in Suwannee County?
Florida offers bail in the form of cash bail or surety bond and bonds from a professional bondsperson.
Who can set bail in Suwannee County?
Under most circumstances your bond amount is set during the booking process by a judge, and you are eligible to bond out prior to going to court. Prior to January 1, 2024, each county set their own bond schedule.
For more serious crimes, bond will be set at the first appearance. Bail is set by a judge in accordance with a precalculated schedule based on the seriousness of the offense.
When is bail set in Suwannee County Florida?
In most cases bail is set immediately after arrest, based on the precalculated schedule. If a defendant is not eligible for immediate release bail may be set by a judge at the initial court hearing, or arraignment.
What is Bail?
Bail is what the arrested in Suwannee County must pay or do to stay out of jail until the first court appearance.
The agreement to bail acts as a promise that the arrested will return to court for court dates and trial. Bail usually refers to a dollar amount, but bail can also mean something that has to be done, or a condition such as reporting to an officer of the court, a curfew, restraining orders or attending a treatment program.
Bail is usually a significant enough amount of money and/or condition that the person will be negatively impacted and has incentive to return to court and not flee. A flight risk usually means that the person would flee the area, and not necessary that they are going to take an airplane.
If a judge in Suwannee County feels that the arrested will return to court for further proceedings, the arrested could be released under a conditional release without needing to pay bail money. This is called Released on Own Recognizance, or ROR.
Conditions for ROR might be to obey all court orders and laws, maintain contact with the lawyer, report changes in residence or have no contact with the victim. Family support will show the court that there are people who will make sure that the defendant makes it to court.
If the judge or bail schedule determines that the defendant would be a danger to the public if they were released, bail can be denied, and the person will be detained in the Suwannee County Juvenile Detention Center until the case is resolved or goes to trial.
Bail can be denied if the defendant did not comply with bail conditions from a previous arrest. Bail is usually denied in cases of violent offenses.
What is the difference between Bail and Bond?
Bail and bond are used interchangeably to mean the same thing but technically, they are different.
The bail is the amount to be paid and a bond is a signed document promising payment of the bail amount with certain conditions.
Think of a bond as a loan to pay for the bail.
The bond payment is always written to the court in your municipality, Suwannee County or district directly and does not go through the defendant. Chances of obtaining a bond from a bond company or clerk of court are better if family is involved.
The thought of being in jail can cause the arrested to panic and try to secure a bond immediately.
DO NOT panic and take the time to understand all the options.
More courts are now trying to work with defendants to make bail work and might provide non-monetary options or even reduce the bail.
Payments to a bond company are not refundable. It is a long process to get back property title or money that was given to the clerk of court or bondsperson to secure the bond. This could put your loved ones into a difficult financial situation.
Another reason not to unnecessarily rush into securing a bond is that if the court notes that you came up with the money to pay a bond company, they may assume you have resources to pay a defense attorney and decline public defense.
On the other hand, as anyone who has ever been involved in their criminal defense understands, fighting your case while ‘out on the streets’ gives you a much better chance of either winning, or getting a more favorable sentence.
What are the different types of bonds in Suwannee County?
Based on a review of information from the arrest, the judge or bail officer will determine and notify the accused of which types of bonds are available to them.
To describe the types of bonds, let’s use an example of buying your neighbor’s car. Your neighbor decides the price of the car and how they would be paid. Similarly, the court (meaning a police or bail officer, clerk of court, bail magistrate or judge) determines the bail amount and how it would be paid. Here are different options that the seller of the car or the court might consider:
You could pay full asking price for the car in cash. This is similar to paying cash bail. The full amount of bail would be paid to the town or county clerk or at the jail. Cash, cashier’s checks and credit cards are usually accepted. A Florida bondsperson will not write a bond for under $250.
Surety can be family, friend or a bondsperson. Your attorney cannot act as a surety.
You can put a deposit down for your neighbor’s car and sign an agreement that the car will be paid off at a later date. Cash percentage in lieu of bonds is when the defendant pays a percentage of the bail amount, usually 10%, to the court which then holds the money until the case is over.
The amount is returned to the person who paid the 10% after the case is over. In most cases, the full amount is not returned if there are court fees or fines due. This is a type of surety bond if another person signs the bond paperwork.
You could sign an agreement that if the car were not paid off, that your neighbor would get your house or something of value.
A property bond is a bond that the courts might consider in which the bond is pledged in land or home real estate (mobile homes are not accepted).
Usually, the property must be in the same state as the courts, and it must be worth at least 1 ½ - 2 times the amount of the bond.
There are multiple court fees involved to execute a property bond with the courts and a tedious process to get the property deed back. This is another type of surety bond if another person or a bond company is used to secure the bond.
You could also go to a local bank and take out a car loan offering property or anything of value for collateral. You may get someone to co-sign on the loan and offer their property. The bank charges fees, interest and could keep your property if you did not pay the loan back, or even on time.
A professional bondsperson makes money, at least 10% of the bond amount by providing you with a “loan” called a bond. The percent that they charge is fixed by the state and cannot be negotiated. The defendant or surety does not get that 10% or more back even if the terms of the bail are met.
With a property bond, the property deed would need to be signed over to the bondsperson and everyone on the deed would need to be involved.
A bondsperson might consider a transfer bond that is transferable across state lines but generally a bond company will only assume the loan to adjoining states. For a Florida resident arrested in another state, bond companies will do transfer bonds but the person putting up the security has to be a Florida resident.
Since the bondsperson signed off, to be responsible that you show to court as your surety and ultimately, they can send a bounty hunter to bring you to court if you flee. A bondsperson does not have to give you a bond if the defendant seems to be too much of a risk.
Ask the bondsperson to explain all the costs: percentage, fees or court fees. There is never a reason to rush through signing the paperwork with a bond company. Make sure that everything told to you is in writing and that you understand what you are signing. Ask questions, and if you feel rushed or don’t understand the contract with the bond company, you might want to call another one.
(There have been phone scams where a bond company calls and informs a person that their family member has been arrested and they ask for financial information. A bondsperson will not call asking for money without involvement of the arrested.)
Does Suwannee County have bail?
Yes, Suwannee County has bail and recognizes most types of bonds.
As of January 1, 2024, Florida moved to a statewide uniform bond schedule.
Under most circumstances your bond amount is set during the booking process, and you are eligible to bond out prior to going to court. Prior to January 1, 2024, each county set their own bond schedule. For more serious crimes, bond will be set at the first appearance.
What kind of bonds are accepted in Suwannee County?
Florida offers bail in the form of cash bail or surety bond and bonds from a professional bondsperson.
Who can set bail in Suwannee County?
Under most circumstances your bond amount is set during the booking process by a judge, and you are eligible to bond out prior to going to court. Prior to January 1, 2024, each county set their own bond schedule.
For more serious crimes, bond will be set at the first appearance. Bail is set by a judge in accordance with a precalculated schedule based on the seriousness of the offense.
When is bail set in Florida?
In most cases bail is set immediately after arrest, based on the precalculated schedule. If a defendant is not eligible for immediate release bail may be set by a judge at the initial court hearing, or arraignment.
Can I get the bail or bond reduced in Suwannee County Florida?
Yes, if there are extenuating circumstances, let the judge know at your initial appearance. Your attorney can also request a bond reduction.
In Suwannee County, who can pay bail for me?
Monetary bail may be posted by any friend or relative. Surety bonds are only accepted from registered bail bond agent. Bail may be posted at the county jail where the defendant has been charged. Please contact Suwannee County Juvenile Detention Center at 386-362-2222 for information related to types of payment accepted, hours of operation, and location.
The person posting bail should be a relative or close friend, called a surety, because they are promising and taking responsibility that you will return to court to get their money back.
A surety is not responsible for court fees or paying off personal debts for the defendant. A professional bondsperson who is approved by the State of Florida could be the surety and execute a bond to the court on your behalf.
Can bail be paid online in Suwannee County Florida?
Some counties do accept online payment. Other only accept cash, money orders, or cashier’s checks. Contact the Suwannee County Juvenile Detention Center at 386-362-2222 for more information regarding accepted forms of payment.
What options are there to pay bail in Suwannee County Florida?
Cash or surety bond. Surety bonds are only accepted from registered bail bond agents. Bail may be posted at the county jail where the defendant is charged. Please contact the jail for specific information on what methods of payment are accepted: Go to the Suwannee County Juvenile Detention Center for more information about posting bail in Suwannee County.
Will I get all my bond money back in Florida?
Money is returned to the person who paid the bail; in whole or in part once the case is finished. There may be fees, restitution (money to pay for damage caused by the crime) or fines that come out of that amount. If you used a bondsperson, you would not get your 10% back. Property is returned by the court or bondsperson after the appropriate requests and formal paperwork are completed with the court.
Can I get bail or a bond with no money down in Suwannee County?
The judge or officer who sets bail determines which kind of bond will be an option however personal recognizance bonds are not offered in Florida, leaving few options for no money up front.
What are the least expensive and affordable bail bonds in Florida?
The Suwannee County Juvenile Detention Center or court in this jurisdiction can provide you with a list of approved and licensed bond companies, but they cannot recommend a specific company. You are not obligated to use the first company available and can call several companies to compare what kind of bonds that the bondsperson is willing to execute.
The percentage of bail that the bond company can charge is set, usually at 10%, by the state and cannot be negotiated.