Do It Yourself Background Checks in South Florida

Utilizing public record databases to find civil, criminal, or traffic violations in South Florida has become a bit easier with the release of an updated list of online resources. Locating and identifying civil litigation, criminal record or traffic infraction history is but a click away. Access to resources relating to inmates, those on probation, parole or community control, sex offenders or missing children, in addition to stolen property or vehicles, is readily available as well.

“In today’s society, comprehensive background checks are a necessity,” private investigator John Sinks of Comprehensive Investigative Solutions in Boca Raton told South Florida Reporter. “A background check is basically an investigative report on an individual. It typically includes a criminal history and credit check, educational credential verification, public records check, or any combination of reports.”

Suggested below are some of the free or low-cost options available when conducting background research in South Florida. In no way are they exhaustive and – according to Sinks – a professional investigator should be consulted when conducting more than a cursory search.

Basic background checks

• Florida Department of Law Enforcement – For a modest fee of $23.00, you can obtain an individual’s reported criminal history record in the state of Florida. Sealed or expunged information will not be included in this report.
• Broward County court records – Search civil, criminal and traffic courts through the Clerk’s office in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
• Collier County court records – Search civil, criminal and traffic courts through the Clerk’s office in Naples, Florida.
• Charlotte County court records – Search civil, criminal and traffic courts through the Clerk’s office in Punta Gorda, Florida.
• Glades County court records – Search civil, criminal and traffic courts through the Clerk’s office in Moore Haven, Florida.
• Hendry County court records – Search civil, criminal and traffic courts through the Clerk’s office in LaBelle, Florida.
• Lee County court records – Search civil, criminal and traffic courts through the Clerk’s office in Fort Myers, Florida.
• Miami-Dade County court records – Search civil, criminal and traffic courts through the Clerk’s office in Miami, Florida.
• Monroe County court records – Search civil, criminal and traffic courts through the Clerk’s office in Key West, Florida.
• Palm Beach County court records – Search civil, criminal and traffic courts through the Clerk’s office in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Sex offenders

• Florida Offender Alert System – Sign up to receive an email alert when a sex offender moves into your neighborhood.
• Florida Sex Offender Registry – Locate registered sex offenders by name, city, address or zip code in the state of Florida.
• Sex offender screen names – Check a computer screen name or email address to determine whether it’s linked to a registered sex offender in Florida.
• National and other state sex offender registries – Search the national database or select an individual state to view a particular offender registry.

Wanted and missing persons

• Florida Missing Children Search – Search for a missing or endangered person directly at the state Missing Children Information Clearinghouse.
• Missing Persons Search – Search for a missing person directly with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
• National Center for Missing and Exploited Children – Search several national resources for missing children.
• Wanted Persons Search – Search for felony or misdemeanor warrant information as reported to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
• Wireless Amber alerts – Sign up for free wireless Amber alerts directly to your cell phone.

Jail and state prison inmates

• Florida Department of Corrections – Search for inmates currently incarcerated or recently released, as well as those on probation, parole, community control or other form of non-custodial release.
• Broward County Jail inmates – Search for inmates currently incarcerated in Broward County.
• Miami-Dade County Jail inmates – Search for inmates currently incarcerated in Miami-Dade County.
• Monroe County Jail inmates – Search for inmates currently incarcerated in Monroe County.
• Palm Beach County Jail inmates – Search for inmates currently incarcerated in Palm Beach County as well as those released within the last 12 months.

Stolen property

• Florida Crime Information Center – Search for information on whether a vehicle, vehicle parts, boats, license plates, decals, guns and other items were reported lost or stolen in Florida.
• VINCheck – Search the National Insurance Crime Bureau database to see if a vehicle has been reported stolen.

“Pre-employment background checks are an important and necessary part of our hiring process,” Xavier Mitjavila, told South Florida Reporter. “There have been times that applicants have been less than truthful in disclosing background issues. After a cursory search, we engage a professional private investigator to complete the process in a more thorough fashion.”

As a nationally recognized credit repair and identity theft expert, Bill Lewis of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is principal of William E. Lewis Jr. & Associates, a solutions based professional consulting firm specializing in the discriminating individual, business or governmental entity. 

Palm Beach Sheriff and Audible Media Group partner to offer audio traffic app

PBSO Audio Traffic App by Audible Media Group

Sheriff Ric Bradshaw and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office have partnered with the Audible Media Group on a new state-of-the-art traffic application designed to provide residents with voice-activated, user-controlled, on-demand, audio traffic reports and PBSO breaking news and alerts, Chief Technology Officer Deniz Kumral reminded the public on Monday.

Called the PBSO Audio Traffic App, Bradshaw was skeptical when he first learned about the concept for a traffic report cell phone app designed to cut down on distracted driving.

“The expertise that was brought to this app was — we believe to be — state of the art,” explained Bradshaw at a recent press conference unveiling the new technology.  “The biggest piece of the puzzle that had to be in place was we didn’t want to have something that caused more distracted driving than we already had a problem with.”

Every year over 3000 people die nationwide because they were distracted while driving.  Through this joint effort, PBSO partnered with the Audible Media Group to launch an audio traffic app to deliver live traffic reports so drivers will not have to scroll maps commonly used by other traffic applications.

With distracted driving in mind, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office wanted an audible device so motorists would keep their eyes on the road rather than on their smartphones.

The PBSO Audio Traffic App features live traffic reports providing traffic information on Palm Beach County roads, including alternate route suggestions. The application also has the capability to send push notifications with breaking news from the Sheriff’s Office, including reports on missing persons, crimes in progress or hazardous conditions.

The app will work in all areas of Palm Beach County by triangulating the location of drivers through their phone’s global positioning system.

“I’m very excited about this – it’s a great partnership – and guess what, the price is the best that it could absolutely be, it’s free,” concluded Bradshaw.

The PBSO Audio Traffic App is available in the Apple App Store and at Google Play for Android devices.  It is operated through voice commands so a driver can get updates about traffic and alternate routes without having to look at their smartphone.

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As a nationally recognized credit repair and identity theft expert, Bill Lewis is principal of William E. Lewis Jr. & Associates, a solutions based professional consulting firm specializing in the discriminating individual, business or governmental entity.

For daily updates on The Credit Report with Bill Lewis, you can join Bill’s 11,550 plus fans on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/thecreditreportwithbilllewis.

William E. Lewis Jr & Associates opens new location in Davie

As a nationally recognized credit repair and identity theft expert, Bill Lewis is principal of William E. Lewis Jr. & Associates, a solutions based professional consulting firm specializing in the discriminating individual, business or governmental entity, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

As a nationally recognized credit repair and identity theft expert, Bill Lewis of William E. Lewis Jr. & Associates – a solutions based professional consulting firm specializing in the discriminating individual, business or governmental entity – announces the opening of a new office in Davie, Florida.

Having outgrown their former location, William E. Lewis Jr & Associates recently moved to 6099 Stirling Road, Suite 210, Davie, FL 33314. 

Formerly with Credit Restoration Consultants, Bill Lewis has been widely sought by many in the restoration of their personal credit worthiness.  As such, a new credit repair component was formed.

In tough economic times, your good name and reputation are more important than ever. Creditors have tightened their guidelines effectively barring millions of Americans from obtaining credit.  Even those with excellent credit are experiencing reduced credit limits and closed equity lines. Mortgage lenders, auto finance companies, credit card issuers and banks have all raised the bar.

The terms credit repair, credit restoration or credit rehabilitation are somewhat synonymous. Those with bad credit histories cannot afford to ignore the potential benefits of credit repair. In today’s economy, a strong FICO score is more important than ever.

Approximately 78% of credit profiles in the United States contain some sort of error or omission materially affecting credit worthiness.  Absent self-help and the “do-it-yourself” approach, a consumer may hire a credit repair company in the restoration of their good name and reputation within the community.

Long gone are the days of obtaining credit, goods, benefits, services and/or employment with a 620 score. In most instances, a consumer will be denied if they maintain a credit score lower than 740. Even those with high credit scores have experienced closed credit card accounts and equity lines.  When an account has not been closed, credit limits have been reduced to the current balance due.

Borrowers with low credit scores can expect to be denied or to pay significantly higher interest rates than those with excellent credit.

Operating within William E. Lewis Jr. & Associates is a boutique credit service organization specializing in the restoration of consumer credit worthiness as well as identity theft. Assisting consumers in achieving a favorable financial credit profile is their first priority.

Everything they do at William E. Lewis Jr & Associates is legal utilizing laws enacted by Congress to dispute negative, erroneous, obsolete, and/or fraudulent information contained within your consumer credit profile.

Utilizing the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, the Fair Credit Billing Act, and the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act, William E. Lewis Jr & Associates will assist consumers in the submission of disputes electronically, verbally and in writing to the Equifax, Experian and Trans Union consumer reporting agencies in addition to creditors, collection agencies, third-party record providers and state/federal/private regulatory authorities.

Unlike most credit repair clinics that submit the same written dispute letters monthly, William E. Lewis Jr & Associates has devised a credit restoration strategy utilizing the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, the Fair Credit Billing Act, the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act, in addition to laws applicable to a consumers state of residence. 

Keep in mind that anything William E. Lewis Jr & Associates can do – you can do yourself.  That means that you do not have to hire William E. Lewis Jr & Associates – or any other credit repair company – to review, investigate and/or dispute alleged discrepancies on your credit report.

Where William E. Lewis Jr & Associates may have an edge over the average consumer is that we possess the education, knowledge and a source proven method that consistently yields results.

William E. Lewis Jr & Associates has obtained thousands of deletions and updates for its clients and can help remove erroneous and/or inaccurate judgments, liens, bankruptcies, student loans, inquiries, derogatory accounts, personal identifiers, arrests, etc.  While the credit restoration process can take anywhere from 30 days to six months, most clients see dramatic results in 45-60 days.

Credit repair, credit restoration and/or credit rehabilitation is as legal as pleading “not guilty” in a court of law. With that said, one must understand that as a credit service organization William E. Lewis Jr & Associates is not a law firm and that none of their employees is an attorney licensed to practice law in the state of Florida.

As such, William E. Lewis Jr & Associates cannot provide legal advice nor represent any individual before any court or in any legal proceeding.  In the event that legal representation is required, William E. Lewis Jr & Associates may provide an appropriate attorney referral for consultation. 

Ordering Free Credit Reports:

Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, as modified by the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act, consumers are entitled to a free copy of their credit report under a narrow set of circumstances.  If you have been denied credit, goods, benefits, services, insurance, and/or employment, the credit reporting agencies of Equifax, Experian and Trans Union are statutorily mandated to provide a copy free of charge.

Equifax can be contacted at (800) 685-1111 or www.Equifax.com; Experian can be contacted at (888) 397-3742 or www.Experian.com; and Trans Union can be contacted at (800) 916-8800 or www.TransUnion.com. Be sure to prompt that you were denied credit when requested to do so.

Absent these exceptions, consumers are entitled to one free “annual credit report” per year. Credit scores are not included with any of the “free credit reports” provided by the national credit reporting agencies.

For your free annual credit report, contact the central source at 877-FACT-ACT (877-322-8228) or www.AnnualCreditReport.com. Follow the voice prompts and obtain your credit report for review.

When self-help or the “do-it-yourself” approach is not feasible and you decide to hire a company to restore your credit, be sure to check them out.  While the majority of credit repair clinics are scams, a few good ones do exist.  Consumers can check out a credit service organization through their state Attorney General, the Federal Trade Commissionat www.ftc.gov or through the Better Business Bureau at www.BBB.org.

For more information, please contact William E. Lewis Jr & Associates at (954) 337-1530 or visit them on the Internet at www.williamlewis.us.

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As a nationally recognized credit repair and identity theft expert, Bill Lewis is principal of William E. Lewis Jr. & Associates, a solutions based professional consulting firm specializing in the discriminating individual, business or governmental entity.

For daily updates on The Credit Report with Bill Lewis, you can join Bill’s 11,550 plus fans on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/thecreditreportwithbilllewis.

Background checks in South Florida made easy

Utilizing public record databases to find criminal, civil, or traffic violations in South Florida became a little easier Friday with the release of a semi-comprehensive list of online resources.

Locating and identifying a criminal history, civil litigation or traffic history is but a click away. You can also access resources in relation to inmates, those on probation, parole or community control, sex offenders or missing children, in addition to stolen property or vehicles.

Background checks

·          Florida Department of Law Enforcement – For a modest fee of $23.00, you can obtain an individual’s criminal history record in Florida.

·         Broward County court records – Search civil, criminal and traffic courts through the Clerk’s office.

·         Miami-Dade County court records – Search civil, criminal and traffic courts through the Clerk’s office.

·         Monroe County court records – Search civil, criminal and traffic courts through the Clerk’s office.

·         Palm Beach County court records – Search civil, criminal and traffic courts through the Clerk’s office.

Sex offenders

·         Florida Offender Alert System – Sign up to receive an email alert when a sex offender moves into your neighborhood.

·         Florida Sex Offender Registry – Locate registered sex offenders by name, city, address or zip code.

·         Sex offender screen names – Check a computer screen name or email address to determine whether it’s linked to a registered sex offender in Florida.

·         National and other state sex offender registries – Search the national database, or select a state to view a particular registry.

Jail and state prison inmates

·         Broward County Jail inmates – Search for inmates currently incarcerated in Broward County.

·         Miami-Dade County Jail inmates – Search for inmates currently incarcerated in Miami-Dade County.

·         Monroe County Jail inmates – Search for inmates currently incarcerated in Monroe County.

·         Palm Beach County Jail inmates – Search for inmates currently incarcerated in Palm Beach County as well as those released within the last 12 months.

·         Florida Department of Corrections – Search for inmates currently incarcerated or recently released, as well as those on probation, parole, community control or other form of non-custodial release.

Wanted and missing persons

·         Florida Missing Children Search – Search for a missing or endangered person directly at the state Missing Children Information Clearinghouse.

·         Missing Persons Search – Search for a missing person directly at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

·         National Center for Missing and Exploited Children – Search for several national resources for missing children.

·         Wanted Persons Search – Search for felony or misdemeanor warrant information as reported to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

·         Wireless Amber alerts – Sign up for free wireless Amber alerts directly to your cell phone.

Stolen property

·         Florida Crime Information Center – Search for information on whether a vehicle, vehicle parts, boats, license plates, decals, guns and other items were reported lost or stolen in Florida.

·         VINCheck – Search the National Insurance Crime Bureau database to see if a vehicle has been reported stolen.

Bill Lewis is principal of William E. Lewis Jr. & Associates, a solutions based professional consulting firm specializing in the discriminating individual, business or governmental entity.

For daily updates on The Credit Report with Bill Lewis, you can join Bill’s 16,550 plus fans on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/thecreditreportwithbilllewis.