Operation Safe Surrender: Pinellas Residents Invited to Turn Themselves In

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Pinellas County residents with outstanding misdemeanor arrest warrants are being invited to turn themselves in during a one-day event meant to help them resolve their charges. While Operation Safe Surrender isn’t an amnesty program, it does offer favorable considerations from the court, according to the sheriff’s office.

Operation Safe Surrender specifically targets people who have non-violent misdemeanor warrants out for their arrest. Coordinated by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, the State Attorney’s Office, Public Defender’s Office, the 6th Judicial Circuit Court judges and the Clerk of the Circuit Court, the operation is staged semi-regularly to give people a way to more easily resolve outstanding legal issues.

Operation Safe Surrender is set to take place Saturday, Sept. 17 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. People whose last names begin with the letters A through K are asked to arrive at the Suncoast Safety Council, 455 31st St. N. in St. Petersburg, between 9 a.m. and noon. Those with last names starting with the letters L through Z should arrive between noon and 3 p.m.

No weapons or children are allowed at the event. Only people with non-violent misdemeanor warrants are being invited to attend.

While the outcome of cases cannot be guaranteed, the sheriff’s office said, “In lieu of being arrested, those individuals with warrants meeting the criteria established by the State Attorney's Office will have their cases reviewed and potentially resolved either by a case continuance, monetary fine and/or case dismissal.”

The last Operation Safe Surrender was staged in February. During that event, 44 people turned out to address a total of 50 warrants. Most of the warrants were for failure to appear in court, code violations, traffic violations and other minor offenses.

People with questions about warrants are asked to contact the Court Processing Unit at 727-582-6170 for more information.

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