Do I need the person's permission to run a background check?

It depends on the purpose. When a consumer report is used for employment, the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. 1681b) requires a clear written disclosure and the applicant's written authorization before the report is obtained. Tell us the purpose at the start, because it decides which rules and sources apply.

Can you get someone's driving record or vehicle registration information?

Only for a purpose the federal Driver's Privacy Protection Act allows. Personal information in Florida motor vehicle records is confidential under s. 119.0712(2)(b), F.S., and a licensed agency may use it only for a purpose permitted by 18 U.S.C. 2721(b), such as use in connection with a court proceeding.

Can you find someone's bank accounts or phone records?

Not by deception, which federal law (15 U.S.C. 6821) and Florida law (s. 817.484, F.S.) prohibit. We can document public indicators of financial condition such as judgments, liens, bankruptcies, real property and business filings. Account-level records are normally obtained through legal process, which your attorney can explain.

How long does a background investigation take, and what affects the cost?

It depends on how many counties and states the person has lived in, how common the name is, whether aliases exist, and whether the scope includes field verification or interviews. The scope is agreed with you before work begins.

Will the person know they are being investigated?

Records research is done without contacting the subject, and interviews happen only if you approve them. Your identity stays confidential, and Florida treats an unauthorized release of client information as grounds for discipline against a licensee (s. 493.6118(1)(e), F.S.).

Background Investigations in Miami

Q: How is a PI background investigation different from an online background check?

An online people-search site assembles records automatically and cannot reliably tell two people with the same name apart. A licensed investigator pulls court and business records from official sources, confirms each one belongs to the right person, and verifies unclear records in the field. You get a sourced report, not a data dump.

Q: Is it legal to hire a private investigator for a background check in Florida?

Yes. Chapter 493, F.S. defines private investigation to include gathering information about a person's identity, conduct, whereabouts, affiliations, associations, transactions, reputation or character, and, apart from limited exemptions, it requires anyone doing that work for pay to be licensed by FDACS. Our agency license is A1800135.

Background investigations at a glance

What it is: a licensed investigator's verified review of a person's or company's history, built from official records and confirmed identifiers rather than an automated database match.
Common uses: hiring, business partners and investors, tenants, nannies and caregivers, a new partner or fiancé, and litigation.
What is checked: identity and address history, criminal and civil court records, business filings, liens and judgments, licenses, and the public online footprint.
The rules: PI work is licensed under Chapter 493; employment and tenant screening falls under the FCRA; driver data is protected by the DPPA and s. 119.0712.
Who does it: Florida agency license A1800135, working from our Coral Gables office, in English or Spanish.

Before you hire someone, sign with a partner, rent out a property or let a caregiver into your home, you want to know who you are dealing with. A background investigation answers that with verified facts. Florida law describes private investigation as gathering information on a person's "identity, habits, conduct, movements, whereabouts, affiliations, associations, transactions, reputation, or character" (s. 493.6101, F.S.). The work is finding the records that matter, proving they belong to the right person, and reporting them clearly.

How is a background investigation different from an online background check?

Instant people-search websites match records by name and birth year, and nobody checks the results. A common name such as José Rodríguez can return someone else's arrest, while a person who changed their name after marriage or uses a second surname can come back looking clean. Addresses are often stale, and many county court systems are not in those databases at all.

A licensed investigator works the other way around:

Identity first. We confirm name variations, aliases and address history before searching, so every record ties to the right person.
Official sources. Court cases are pulled from the clerk of court in each county that matters, and business filings from the state registry, not from a reseller's copy.
Cross-referencing. Residency, employment and family connections are compared across sources to catch false positives.
Field verification. When a record is unclear, we verify in person, canvass a neighborhood, or interview willing references, with your approval.

Who needs a background investigation?

Employers

Confirming history, education and licenses before filling a high-trust role. See pre-employment background checks.

Business partners and investors

Checking a partner, buyer, vendor or borrower for lawsuits, judgments and undisclosed affiliations. See corporate due diligence.

Landlords and property managers

Verifying identity, rental-relevant court history and eviction filings before a lease is signed.

Nannies, caregivers and household staff

Confirming that the person caring for your children or a parent is who they claim to be. Guide in Spanish: cómo investigar a su niñera.

Dating and premarital checks

Confirming the identity, marital status and history of someone met online, or of a future spouse. Guide in Spanish: verificar a su pareja en línea.

Attorneys

Researching opposing parties and assessing the credibility of witnesses, which Chapter 493 lists among the purposes of private investigation. See services for attorneys.

What does a background investigation cover?

Every scope is built around your question, but most investigations draw on these areas:

Identity and address history

Legal name, prior names, aliases and where the person has lived. This tells us which counties and states to search.

Criminal records

Arrests, charges, convictions, incarcerations and pending cases at the county, state and federal levels, including cases filed under name variations. In Florida we also check the FDLE criminal history records system, the sexual offender and predator registry and the Department of Corrections offender search.

Civil court history

Lawsuits, injunctions for protection, divorces, evictions and foreclosures. A pattern of litigation or unpaid judgments often says more than one criminal record.

Financial indicators

Judgments, liens, bankruptcies, real property and business interests, useful in partnerships, lending, divorces and fraud prevention. For a deeper look, see our asset checks.

Employment, education and professional licenses

Job titles and dates confirmed with former employers, degrees with the school, and licenses, including discipline, with the issuing board.

Associations and online presence

Family relationships, known associates and business affiliations, plus publicly visible social media, forums and dating profiles, compared against what the person has told you. See social media investigations and open-source intelligence.

Which Florida records are public, and which are protected?

Florida makes a great deal public. Knowing where the public record stops matters just as much.

Court records. Each county clerk keeps its own case records. In Miami-Dade, the Clerk of the Court and Comptroller offers separate civil, family and probate searches, criminal searches and official records such as deeds, liens and judgments.
Business filings. The Division of Corporations' Sunbiz search covers entities, officers and registered agents, fictitious names and judgment liens, so it shows which companies a person has run and whether they are active.
Motor vehicle records are not open. Personal information in a motor vehicle record "is confidential pursuant to the federal Driver's Privacy Protection Act of 1994" and "may be released only as authorized by that act" (s. 119.0712, F.S.). A licensed agency may use it only "for any purpose permitted under" the DPPA (18 U.S.C. § 2721(b)(8)), so a PI gets no broader access than the underlying purpose.
Bank and phone records are not public at all. They are protected by the pretexting laws covered in the next section.

What a Florida PI can and can't legally do in a background investigation

We are licensed under Chapter 493, Florida Statutes, through the FDACS Division of Licensing. The license lets us research and verify. It does not unlock private databases or suspend privacy law.

What we can do

Search public court, business, property and regulatory records, and review what a person posts publicly online.
Use motor vehicle data only where the DPPA permits it for your purpose.
Interview willing references, former employers, landlords and neighbors.
Testify about what we found and how we found it.

What we can't do

Pretext for financial or phone records. Federal law bars obtaining a bank customer's information "by making a false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement or representation" (15 U.S.C. § 6821), and Florida prohibits obtaining another person's calling records through false statements (s. 817.484, F.S.).
Pose as police. Impersonating a law enforcement officer is grounds for license discipline (s. 493.6118, F.S.(1)(i)) and can be a felony under s. 843.08, F.S..
Get into private accounts. Accessing someone's online accounts without permission can be cyberstalking under s. 784.048, F.S.. We document only what is publicly visible.
Secretly record a reference call. Florida requires "all of the parties to the communication" to consent before a conversation is intercepted (s. 934.03, F.S.).
Track a vehicle to learn a routine. Placing a tracking device on another person's property without consent is a felony, with no general exception for investigators (s. 934.425, F.S.).

When does the Fair Credit Reporting Act apply?

Purpose matters. When a background report is used to decide whether to hire someone, the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act governs how it is obtained and used (15 U.S.C. § 1681b). Before the report is procured, the applicant must receive a clear and conspicuous written disclosure and must authorize the report in writing. Before an employer takes adverse action based on it, the applicant must receive a copy of the report and a written description of their rights under the Act. The Act can also apply when a consumer report is used to screen a rental applicant.

That is why our first question is always what the report will be used for: a hiring decision, a rental, a lawsuit and a personal safety concern each carry different rules.

Not legal advice. This is a plain-language summary of federal and Florida law. Employers and landlords should confirm their screening obligations with their own counsel.

How does a background investigation work?

Confidential consultation. You tell us who the subject is, what you already know (full name, date of birth, past addresses, employers, a company name) and what decision the answer will inform.
Scope. We agree which records, jurisdictions and verification steps are needed, and whether interviews are part of the plan.
Records research. Identity and address history first, then court, business, financial and licensing records in each relevant county and state.
Verification. We resolve conflicting records, rule out same-name matches and, where approved, confirm facts in person.
Report and review. You receive a written report and we walk you through what it means.

What will I receive?

A written report organized by category.
The source for every record: the court or agency, the case or document number and the filing date, so anyone can confirm it independently.
Clear flags on anything unconfirmed, and on gaps between what the subject told you and the records.
Testimony when needed. Florida requires evidence to be authenticated before it is admitted (s. 90.901, F.S.); the investigator who did the work can explain how each record was obtained.

How long does it take, and what affects the cost?

Each investigation is quoted individually. What drives time and cost:

Number of jurisdictions. Someone who has lived in one county is quicker to research than someone with addresses in several states or abroad.
Name complexity. Common names, compound surnames, aliases and name changes all add verification work.
Depth. A records-only review is shorter than one that adds employment verification, interviews or in-person checks.
Record access. Records released only on request or in person add time, as do multiple companies or layered ownership.

For how investigation pricing works in general, read how much a private investigator costs in Miami.

Why clients and attorneys choose us

Licensed: Florida agency license A1800135, which you can confirm on the FDACS agency search.
Veteran-led and bilingual (English and Español).
4.9★ from 88 Google reviews.
Attorney-vetted: lawyers at Morgan & Morgan, Cornish Hernandez Gonzalez, Asilia Law, Goldberg & Rosen and Scheer Legal have recorded testimonials. See the attorney testimonials.