FAQs About Bail Bonds in Florida

Since many who are arrested cannot afford to pay the full bail amount out of pocket, a bail bond is essentially a loan. For a 10% fee, the bail bond agency pays the full amount to the courts so the defendant can be released until their trial. The court returns the full amount to the agency when the defendant appears for trial, and the bondsman is allowed to pursue the defendant and return them to custody if they fail to appear.

When a defendant is arrested, the court sets the bail amount as collateral that allows the defendant to be released until their trial date, to ensure that they will return for it. Since the amount is often hundreds or thousands of dollars, the defendant can use a bond, which is essentially a loan for the full bail amount issued by a bail bondsman.

Unless you have thousands of dollars easily accessible, you may be unable to pay the full bail amount. This means that you would remain in jail until your trial date, which could be several months. Obviously, this is a burden if you have a job, bills to pay, or children to care for. Using a bail bond can get you out of jail until your trial for a fraction of the full bail amount.

General bail bonds are also known as surety bonds. There is also a property bond, where a lien on real estate property can serve as collateral instead of cash. This can be a time-consuming process, and the court can foreclose on the property if the defendant misses their trial date. 

A bail bond agency will need certain information from you in order to issue a bond. They will need to know exactly where the individual is in custody—the city, state, and the name of the jail. When they contact the jail, they will also need the full name of the individual, their booking number, and the amount of the bail. If the information is unavailable, the bondsman can get the booking number and bail amount from the jail. Bob Barry Bail Bonds is the closest bail bonds agency to the Volusia county jail.

Unless the judge decides to release the defendant on their own recognizance, the only ways for them to get out of jail before their trial is to pay the full bail amount, use the property as collateral, or obtain a bail bond from an agency such as Bob Barry Bail Bonds. We are available 24/7 and are able to issue bonds over the phone so that you or your loved one can be released from jail quickly.

If the defendant leaves the state or country while on bond, they are subject to arrest unless they have received prior permission in writing from the bonding office.

If the defendant gets re-arrested while out on bond, the bond can be surrendered and their liability terminated. If they choose to surrender the bond, they lose the amount already paid for the bond and will have to pay a new premium on both the previous bond and the one for the new arrest.

Each bail bonds agency will have their own standards regarding what they will accept as collateral. Common collateral accepted include credit cards, bank accounts, personal credit, cars, real estate, jewelry, and stocks and bonds.

The 10% premium paid on the bail bond is non-refundable. Similar to a bank charging interest on a loan, this premium is the price for the service of issuing the bail bond.