Florida Bail Bonds

This question get brought up a lot when clients call us and the answer is easy. A few years ago, Florida started allowing cash bonds to be used to pay for court fees, costs, and any fines associated with the case. This new amendment leaves it wide open for you to lose more than the required 10% that would be assessed by a Florida Bail Bondsman. Here is an example of a person who called our office a few years ago, but decided to pay the cash bond himself. A father called our office asking questions about his son who was arrested in Alachua county Florida on a warrant issued for his son. The charges were stated as possession of narcotic with intent to sell and the bond was set at $10,000. We explained to the father about the 10% premium required in order to bail his son out. He also inquired about posting the full amount at the jail. We kindly explained to him the difference and what he ma potentially lose. to make a long story short, nine months later, we come to find out that the court has accessed over $7,200 in court costs and the father was issued payment of $2,800 in return of his $10,000 cash bond. If they would have gone through a bail bondsman, this situation would not have happened.