Legal Question in Real Estate Law in Florida
can a felon own real estate in florida if adjudication is withheld
1 Answer from Attorneys
Adjudiation withheld is even better in case I'm wrong, but I'm 95% sure there is no law that says a felon cannot own real estate whether adjudicated guilty OR adjudication witheld. There are civil rights and personal rights. Some personal rights are civil rights and some rights are purely personal in nature. Owning real estate is purely personal. With convicted felons, rights as to firearms, voting, running for office are the only rights I can think of that are taken away. Still yet, there is the governor's office of clemency that restores rights such as firearms and voting. But let's say the felon has been adjudicated of sexual batter/rape of a minor, in which case I cannot imagine adjudication being withheld--but anyway, in that case the felon is not allowed to reside within 1000 ft. of schools, public parks. Also the felon has to register as a sex offender wherever he/she lives. So mainly the civil rights that are taken away are those that could in some way affect the general public. Robbers can't own guns; felons convicted of fraud cannot run for office; sexual offender cannot be near kids, etc.