Florida/Georgia Personal Injury & Workers Compensation

You're probably overthinking it. Call a lawyer.

Call Now: 904-383-7448
Florida Statute 903.21 - Full Text and Legal Analysis
Florida Statute 903.21 | Lawyer Caselaw & Research
Link to State of Florida Official Statute
F.S. 903.21 Case Law from Google Scholar Google Search for Amendments to 903.21

The 2025 Florida Statutes

Title XLVII
CRIMINAL PROCEDURE AND CORRECTIONS
Chapter 903
BAIL
View Entire Chapter
903.21 Method of surrender; exoneration of obligors.
(1) A surety desiring to surrender a defendant shall deliver a copy of the bond and the defendant to the official who had custody of the defendant at the time bail was taken or to the official into whose custody the defendant would have been placed if she or he had been committed. The official shall take the defendant into custody, as on a commitment, and issue a certificate acknowledging the surrender.
(2) When a surety presents the certificate and a copy of the bond to the court having jurisdiction, the court shall order the obligors exonerated and any money or bonds deposited as bail refunded. The surety shall give the state attorney 3 days’ notice of application for an order of exoneration and furnish the state attorney a copy of the certificate and bond.
(3)(a) The surety shall be exonerated of liability on the bond if it is determined before breach of the bond that the defendant is in any jail or prison and the surety agrees in writing to pay the costs and expenses incurred in returning the defendant to the jurisdiction of the court. A surety is only responsible for the itemized costs and expenses incurred for the transport of a defendant to whom he or she has a fiduciary duty and is not liable for the costs and expenses incurred in transporting any other defendant.
(b) For purposes of this subsection, the term:
1. “Costs and expenses” means the prorated salary of any law enforcement officer or employee of a contracted transportation company as well as the actual expenses of transporting each defendant, which may only consist of mileage, vehicle expenses, meals, and, if necessary, overnight lodging for any law enforcement officer or employee of a contracted transportation company and the defendant.
2. “Jurisdiction” means the county from which the defendant was released on bail.
History.s. 64, ch. 19554, 1939; CGL 1940 Supp. 8663(64); s. 30, ch. 70-339; s. 34, ch. 73-334; s. 7, ch. 86-151; s. 1482, ch. 97-102; s. 3, ch. 99-303; s. 1, ch. 2022-85.

F.S. 903.21 on Google Scholar

F.S. 903.21 on CourtListener

Amendments to 903.21


Annotations, Discussions, Cases:

Cases Citing Statute 903.21

Total Results: 2  |  Sort by: Relevance  |  Newest First

Copy

Easy Bail Bonds v. Polk Cnty., 784 So. 2d 1173 (Fla. 2d DCA 2001).

Cited 2 times | Published | Florida 2nd District Court of Appeal | 2001 Fla. App. LEXIS 4225, 2001 WL 321026

...ond forfeitures and preparing for and attending hearings. *1176 None of these arguments is entirely correct. The County's argument that "costs" should include more than simply the mileage cost for transporting the defendant is based on the fact that section 903.21(3), Florida Statutes (1999), dealing with the surrender of a defendant before a bond is breached, states that the bail bondsman must pay the "transportation cost of returning the defendant to the jurisdiction of the court." The County argues that the use of the specific phrase "transportation cost" in section 903.21(3) and the absence of the word "transportation" in sections 903.26 and 903.28 means that the legislature did not intend to limit the costs allowed by sections 903.26 and 903.28 to simply mileage....
Copy

Sur., Seneca Ins. v. State, 846 So. 2d 1154 (Fla. 1st DCA 2003).

Published | Florida 1st District Court of Appeal | 2003 Fla. App. LEXIS 4830, 2003 WL 1831113

...consent of, the surety, absolved the surety from liability on the contract. See Cash v. State, 73 So.2d 903 (Fla.1954); Ex Parte Cribbs, 109 Fla. 286 , 146 So. 912 (1933); American Bankers Ins. Co. v. Monroe County, 644 So.2d 560 (Fla. 3d DCA 1994). Section 903.21, Florida Statutes, which states in part: *1156 (1) A surety desiring to surrender a defendant shall deliver a copy of the bond and the defendant to the official who had custody of the defendant at the time bail was taken or to the offi...

This Florida statute resource is curated by Graham W. Syfert, Esq., a Jacksonville, Florida personal injury and workers' compensation attorney. For legal consultation, call 904-383-7448.