Renters in the Orlando area are covered by Florida's statewide rules on tenant screening. Section 83.425 of the Florida Statutes, enacted in 2023, preempts local regulation of residential tenancies, including how landlords screen applicants and what they charge in application fees. Any county or city rule on those topics is superseded. When a tenant screening report is wrong, the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act is a main tool for getting it fixed.
For jobs, the FCRA sets the process for background checks. An employer must give you a clear written disclosure, in a document by itself, and get your written permission before ordering a report. Before rejecting you based on the report, it must give you a copy and a summary of your rights. Florida law separately limits how public employers may use past convictions under section 112.011, and the City of Orlando requests a criminal background check for its own jobs only after an offer.
Background reports often go wrong in predictable ways. A case may be shown as a conviction when it was dismissed, a record may belong to someone with the same name, or a sealed record may still appear. Screening companies must use reasonable procedures for accuracy and must reinvestigate disputes. Cases from Orange, Seminole and Osceola counties are filed in the Middle District of Florida's Orlando Division, and Lake County cases go to its Ocala Division.
Where Orlando FCRA cases are filed
FCRA claims are federal, so they go to a United States District Court. Cases from Orlando are heard in one federal district:
- Middle District of FloridaOrange, Seminole and Osceola counties (Orlando Division); Lake County (Ocala Division). Courthouses: Orlando, Ocala.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 Orlando
- City of Orlando hiring policy (City of Orlando hiring policy (announced May 15, 2015))
The City of Orlando removed the criminal history question from most city job applications and requests a criminal background check only after an offer. Police, fire and some seasonal jobs working with children or people with disabilities are excepted. 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
Does an Orlando employer need my permission to run a background check?
Yes. Under the FCRA, an employer must give you a written disclosure that it may obtain a background report, in a document consisting only of that disclosure, and get your written authorization. A disclosure buried in a job application may not meet this rule. If the employer then rejects you based on the report, it must first give you a copy.
A background check listed a dismissed charge as a conviction. Is that legal?
A background check company must use reasonable procedures to report accurately. Reporting a dismissed charge as a conviction may make the report inaccurate under the FCRA. You can dispute it with the company and include court records showing the dismissal.
Can an Orange County ordinance protect me from a bad tenant screening report?
Florida law now preempts local regulation of tenant screening, so county or city rules generally cannot govern that process. The federal FCRA still applies statewide. It requires screening companies to report accurately and lets you dispute errors, and you may have a claim if a company fails to fix them.
How long do I have to file an FCRA lawsuit in Orlando?
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 Area Population Totals: 2020–2025
- U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Local Rule 1.04 (divisions)
- U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, History of the Orlando Courthouse
- Fla. Stat. § 83.425 (preemption of residential tenancy regulation)
- Fla. Stat. § 112.011 (public employment and prior convictions)
- 15 U.S.C. § 1681i (disputes and reinvestigation)
- 15 U.S.C. § 1681b (employment disclosure and authorization)
- 15 U.S.C. § 1681e (accuracy of consumer reports)
- 15 U.S.C. §§ 1681n and 1681o (damages and attorney fees)
- City of Orlando, Apply for a City Job
- National Employment Law Project, Ban the Box: U.S. Cities, Counties, and States Adopt Fair-Chance Policies (Oct. 2021)
Updated November 2026. This page is general information, not legal advice.