Throughout the state of Florida, arrest warrant laws are nearly identical. As outlined by the Florida Rules of Criminal Procedure (located on this website), all arrest warrants follow the same process.
For an FL arrest warrant to be created, police personnel must first appear in a court of law within Bay County and present evidence to a judge implicating an individual in a crime. Assuming that the judge finds this evidence compelling, he will authorize, issue, and sign the arrest warrant, granting Bay County police forces, FL, 48 hours to make an arrest.
Even though individual counties issue Florida arrest warrants, they are acknowledged to have been issued by the state of Florida’s authority. Although this has several different meanings, the most significant is that an arrest warrant issued in Bay County, FL, is valid throughout the state. This means that fleeing over county lines will not prevent an arrest.
If you would like to look into the Bay County FL arrest warrant status of a particular individual, it’s best to contact the Sheriff of Bay County. You can find their web page detailing some relevant information by searching for “Bay County FL Sheriffs Office Warrants Division” on the web.
The last time we’ve checked, their website was down for some reason, so try and find their most updated website on your own. You may also visit their offices at 3421 N. Highway 77, in Panama City, FL 32405. Please be advised that appearing in person may lead to your arrest, and we strongly recommend retaining the services of a defense attorney before proceeding.
A Bay County person’s full criminal background is available through the FL Department of Law Enforcement here (read or on FDLE Search here), although you may have to pay a small fee. You can also use the above search form to instantly search through an online criminal records database.
Key Contact Numbers And Information For Accessing Public Records In Bay County 2024:
Court Records
Bay County Court Facility:
- Address: 1230 Washington Avenue, Bay City, Michigan 48708
- Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Court department phone numbers:
- Circuit Court: (989) 895-4265
- District Court: (989) 895-4232
- Juvenile Court: (989) 895-4206
- Probate Court: (989) 895-4205
Official Records
Bay County Clerk of Court:
- Phone: (850) 763-9061
- Email: [email protected]
- Address: 300 East 4th Street, Panama City, FL 32401
Sheriff’s Office Records
Bay County Sheriff’s Office:
- Records Supervisor: Beth Nelson
- Phone: (850) 747-4700
- Fax: (850) 914-2093
- Address: 3421 N. Highway 77, Panama City, FL 32405
- Email: Records Supervisor Beth Nelson
General Public Records Requests
County Manager’s Office:
- Bob Majka, County Manager
- Phone: (850) 248-8140
- Address: 840 W. 11th St., Panama City, FL 32401
Online Records Access
- Official Records Search: Available on the Bay County Clerk of Court website
- Public Records Request Portal: baycountyfl.justfoia
Additional Resources
- Bay County Supervisor of Elections (voter records): bayvotesfl.gov
- Florida Department of Health (vital records like death certificates): (904) 359-6900
When requesting records, you should be prepared to provide specific details about the records you’re seeking. Some records may have associated fees for copies or certifications.
Crime Statistics for Bay County, Florida
The 2019 annual crime average of Bay County showed a slight increase of about 150 incidents or approximately 8% of the average of the previous year. The increase in itself offered little cause for concern.
When coupled with the already high crime rate of well over 2500 incidents, it does paint a grim picture. On average, the local police received around 2200 complaints against property crimes and an estimated 360 complaints against violent crimes in 2019.