Background checks are part of applying for jobs and apartments throughout Northeast Florida. When a report is wrong, it can cost you a job offer or a lease. Common errors include another person's criminal record matched by name only, sealed or expunged cases that still appear, a withheld adjudication reported as a conviction, one case listed several times, and eviction filings reported without their outcome. The FCRA requires background and tenant screening companies to use reasonable procedures to make their reports as accurate as possible.
The FCRA sets the main rules for employment screening. For its own jobs, the City of Jacksonville reviews criminal history only after a candidate is selected, under a 2008 ordinance and a 2009 human resources directive. An employer must give you a separate written disclosure and get your written permission before ordering a background report. Before rejecting you based on the report, the employer must give you a copy and a summary of your rights so you can point out errors. The screening company must reinvestigate if you dispute what it reported.
Renters denied a lease or charged more because of a tenant screening report should receive a notice naming the screening company. You can then get a free copy and dispute errors. Background check cases from all five counties in the metro can be filed in the Jacksonville Division of the Middle District of Florida.
Where Jacksonville FCRA cases are filed
FCRA claims are federal, so they go to a United States District Court. Cases from Jacksonville are heard in one federal district:
- Middle District of FloridaDuval, St. Johns, Clay, Nassau and Baker counties (the whole metro, in the court's Jacksonville Division). Courthouses: Jacksonville.Filed with local or cooperating counsel
Our attorneys are licensed in Texas, California, and Georgia. Where they aren't admitted in your local federal court, we work with local or cooperating counsel who are. You may also be able to sue where the company that reported you is based, in a court where our attorneys are admitted:
- Checkr: HQ in N.D. California
- First Advantage and Sterling: HQ in N.D. Georgia
- RealPage: HQ in N.D. Texas
Which court is right depends on your facts. We'll tell you at your free case review.
Local and state rules in Jacksonville
- City of Jacksonville ex-offender hiring ordinance and policy (Jacksonville Ordinance 2008-911-E (Nov. 10, 2008); Human Resources directive (July 8, 2009))
The City of Jacksonville moved criminal history review for its own jobs to after a candidate is selected: the successful candidate undergoes a criminal background check before employment, and a conviction does not automatically disqualify an applicant. Under the 2009 directive, the review weighs the job duties, the age of the offense and rehabilitation, and denied applicants may appeal. It covers City jobs only. Read it
State law also applies: see Background Check Error Lawsuits in Florida.
Common background check errors
- Someone else's criminal or eviction record matched to you by name
- Dismissed, sealed or expunged cases still reported
- Charges reported as convictions, or misdemeanors as felonies
- The same case listed several times
- Eviction filings reported without the dismissal or outcome
Learn how these cases work on our background check lawsuits page, or read our lawsuit guides for Checkr, Sterling, HireRight, First Advantage, RealPage, SafeRent, RentGrow and TransUnion Rental Screening.
Frequently asked questions
My Florida case ended with adjudication withheld. Can a background check call it a conviction?
A report must be accurate and complete. Describing a withheld adjudication as a conviction may be misleading, depending on how it is presented. You can dispute the entry with the background check company, and an uncorrected error may support an FCRA claim.
My sealed record showed up on a tenant screening report. What can I do?
A sealed record generally should not appear on a screening report. You can dispute it with the screening company and send a copy of the sealing order. Reporting sealed records may show a failure to use reasonable procedures under the FCRA.
An employer in Jacksonville ran a background check without my permission. Is that legal?
Under the FCRA, an employer generally must give you a clear written disclosure, in a document by itself, and get your written authorization before ordering a background report. Failing to do so can violate the FCRA. Keep copies of anything you signed.
How long do I have to file an FCRA lawsuit in Jacksonville?
FCRA deadlines are the same everywhere: generally two years from when you discover the violation, and no more than five years from when it happened (15 U.S.C. § 1681p). Waiting can cost you the claim.
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau, Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas Population Totals (Vintage 2025)
- U.S. Census Bureau, CBSA delineation files and principal cities (July 2023)
- U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida
- U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Divisions
- 28 U.S.C. § 89 (Florida judicial districts)
- 15 U.S.C. § 1681e (accuracy procedures)
- 15 U.S.C. § 1681i (reinvestigation of disputes)
- 15 U.S.C. § 1681s-2 (furnisher duties)
- 15 U.S.C. § 1681b (employment disclosure, authorization and pre-adverse action notice)
- 15 U.S.C. § 1681m (adverse action notices)
- 15 U.S.C. § 1681p (where and when to sue)
- City of Jacksonville Employee Services, Types of Jobs and Hiring Process
- National Employment Law Project, Ban the Box: Fair Chance State and Local Guide (Oct. 2021)
Updated November 2026. This page is general information, not legal advice.