BAIL BONDS FAQ's
Your Bail Bonds Frequently Asked Questions – ANSWERED
WHAT CAN I EXPECT AFTER BEING ARRESTED?
After you or your loved one is arrested, you will need to post a bail bond and secure your freedom. You will be taken to either the local police department in that city’s jurisdiction or to the main jail, which in Lake County is located in Tavares to begin the booking and release process.
What happens next?
You should call a licensed bail bond agent (Altman Bail Bonds) for us to begin our process of assisting you in getting our client back home to their life. A Bail Bondsman is needed in the Judicial system to secure a person’s court appearance. We are dedicated to the Lake County FL Judicial system and the majority of our bail bonds are written at the Lake County Detention Center.
Booking Process: The booking process varies from County to County. Lake County is one of the fastest for processing in the Central Florida area. It is not uncommon for us to have our client released in under an hour from the Tavares or Clermont Jail.
WHEN ARRESTED, HOW LONG BEFORE I’M BOOKED AND READY FOR A BAIL BONDSMAN TO POST MY BAIL?
The length of time that is required for the booking process to be completed varies. This length of time depends on how busy the respective jail is at the time the person is being booked. If you are arrested by the Sheriff’s office, you will be transported to either Tavares or Clermont. Local police departments sometime hold you at their station until the officer finishes the arrest report. A bail bondsman cannot post bail until you have been transported to the main jail or South substation in Clermont. Lake County jail is one of the fastest in Central Florida for processing defendants in and out.
After you are processed at the jail and your bail bond is able to be posted, release time is typically 1-3 hours.
Two exceptions to this is;
a. If the person arrested has been charged with driving under the influence (DUI) or any other alcohol related charge. In these instances, the person that has been arrested is required to be held until such time that their alcohol content drops below a certain level that is determined by the respective agency in which they are being held.
b. If the charge is domestic related such as simple battery. Domestic Violence Charges require a first appearance for a judge to set the bail amount. Please be advised that the Bail Agent does not and cannot control this holding period.
HOW MUCH DO BAIL BONDSMEN CHARGE?
We charge the standard BAIL BOND fee in Florida of 10% of the set bail amount.
For example, if bail is set at $10,000.00, you would be able to post a bail bond and get out of jail for $1000.00 or 10 percent. On Larger Bail Bond premium, we offer a percentage down and a payment plan for the remaining balance of the bail bond premium. The full bond amount never needs to be paid unless there is a forfeiture of bond. A forfeiture of bond occurs when the defendant misses a required court hearing and the judge orders a forfeiture of bond.
There are many different situations being released on a bail bond can take you through. We help guide you through your court case and make sure you have someone on your side who knows how to handle your best interest for a Lake County bail bond.
WHAT IS THE STANDARD FEE FOR A BAIL BONDSMAN TO POST MY BOND?
THE STANDARD FEE FOR BAIL BONDS IN FLORIDA IS 10%.
A bond, also referred to as an appearance bond is in essence a contract between the State of Florida, the bail bond agent, also referred to as a bail bondsman and the Principal, and also referred to as the Defendant/Accused.
The appearance bond is a written contract wherein the bail bond agent pledges the financial assets of the company for the penal sum or total amount of the bond(s) that are executed on the Defendant’s behalf.
The appearance bond is what guarantees that the Defendant will appear at all court appearances until such time that their case is properly disposed by the court.
It’s important to note that should the Defendant fail to appear in court, the Bail Agent has to either arrest and surrender the Defendant to the appropriate authority or MUST pay the total amount of the bond(s) for which the agent posted on the Defendant’s behalf.
Bail is also referred to as “Bail Premium” or “Bond Fee”. Simply put, this is how much it will cost for the Bail Agent to post the bond(s) for the Defendant. These fees are set and regulated by the State of Florida and NOT the individual Bail Bondsman or the Agent’s company.
The fees are quite simple to calculate: Any bond amount from $1.00 up to $1,000.00 is a flat fee of $100. Any bond amount from $1,001.00 and above, regardless of the total amount, is 10% of the total bond amount. The only exception to this is if the agents post a Federal Bond. Bond fees for all Federal Bonds are 15% of the total bond amount.
It’s also important to note and is a common misconception of the fees we charge is that a separate bond MUST be written for each individual charge. Often times our clients are of the opinion that all of the charges can be combined and one bond can be written and this is not the case. At times, this may result in additional fees being charged as a result of separate and individual bonds having to be written. Ask about our payment plan options for bail bonds, we will work with your budget.
DO YOU ACCEPT PAYMENTS ON BAIL BOND PREMIUM?
Yes
At Altman’s we will work with your budget to create a payment plan arrangement for larger bail bond premiums. This will consist of a brief interview and discussion of future plans to pay the bail bond premium. Call (352) 343-6090 to begin this interview process and allow us to help you post a bail bond for Lake County Florida.
IF I AM BROUGHT TO THE CLERMONT SUBSTATION CAN I BAIL OUT FROM THERE?
Yes
If you are arrested on the South end of Lake County, you will most likely be booked into the Clermont Sheriff sub-station. We can STOP the transportation to the main jail in Tavares as soon as you Contact Us. We will post your bail bond at either the Main (Tavares) Jail in lake County or the Clermont substation located off Hwy 50 in Clermont.
WHAT DO I DO IF I HAVE A WARRANT AND WANT TO TURN MYSELF IN?
If you have a warrant, call our office.
We would need to research the case to provide you with the best option for a self arrest, or what’s called a walk through. A walk through appointment is set up with you at our bail bonds office in Tavares, the bail bond agent goes into the jail with you to provide the warrant info, and bail bond. This process usually takes a few hours to complete.
Warrants can be handled at any jail in Florida, we prefer to handle all of our walk through bail bonds at the Lake County FL jail in Tavares.
WHERE IS THE LAKE COUNTY JAIL?
The Lake County jail is located at 551 W. Main Street Tavares, Fl. 32778.
The Lake County Detention Center in Tavares, Florida is the main booking and release center for Lake County and processes bail bonds 24 hours, 7 days a week… even on Holidays. The Tavares jail is located a few blocks from our bail bond office.
WHAT IS A NO COLLATERAL BAIL BOND?
In the bail bond industry, a no collateral bail bond is a common term for a bond that is not secured by a house or vehicle title or real property. Instead the bail bond is secured by a promissory note from a family member or friend for the full bail amount in the event that the defendant forfeited and missed court.