A plain-English breakdown of what you actually pay for a bail bond in Broward County, the 10% Florida premium, payment plans, and what changes the number.
If you are reading this at 2am because someone you love is sitting in a Broward County jail, take a breath. You are in the right place, and the cost question has a simple answer. In Florida the price of a bail bond is set by state law, not by the bondsman, so there are no surprise fees and no haggling. This guide walks you through exactly what a bail bond costs in Broward County and how Mz Bee's makes it affordable to get your person home.
In Florida, a bail bond costs 10% of the full bail amount for state charges. That 10% is the premium, the fee you pay a licensed agent to post the entire bond for you. So if the judge sets bail at $10,000, you pay about $1,000 and we put up the full $10,000 with the court. You do not pay the whole bail yourself, which is the entire point of using a bondsman.
This rate is fixed by Florida law. Every licensed agency charges the same 10%, so what actually matters when you call around is how fast someone picks up, how clearly they explain the cost, and how flexible they are on payment. That is where we come in.
Here is what the 10% premium looks like at the bail amounts we see most often in Broward County:
There is a typical $100 minimum premium, so on very small bonds you will usually pay at least $100 even if 10% would technically be less. If you want the exact number for your case, call (305) 783-7006 with the bail amount and we will tell you the premium and your options in the same breath.
Federal charges are handled differently. The premium on a federal bond is 15% of the bond amount instead of 10%. Federal cases are less common than county arrests, but if your loved one is being held on a federal matter, we post those too. You can learn more about how the different bond types work on our bail bonds information page, which breaks down state, federal, and immigration bonds in plain terms.
We know not everyone has the full premium sitting in their bank account at the moment of a midnight phone call. That is normal, and it does not mean you are stuck. Mz Bee's offers flexible payment plans built around your budget, and no-collateral bonds in most cases, which means you often will not have to put up your house, your car, or anything else to get the bond posted. We will talk through the cost and the plan before anything is signed, so there are no surprises.
If your person was arrested in Fort Lauderdale, our Fort Lauderdale bail bondsman is right downtown on Broward Blvd, around the corner from the Main Jail and the courthouse, ready to start the paperwork the minute you call. For a full picture of how we cover the whole county, see our Broward County bail bonds page.
The premium is always 10% (or 15% federal), but the underlying bail amount is set by a judge, and several things move that number up or down:
You will not know the exact bail amount until booking is complete or the first appearance hearing happens, usually within 24 hours of the arrest. Once it is set, the math is easy: the premium is 10% of that number.
Most Fort Lauderdale and central Broward arrests are booked into the Broward County Main Jail at 555 SE 1st Ave, Fort Lauderdale, with court typically held at the Broward County Courthouse, 201 SE 6th St. Other people are held at the Joseph V. Conte Facility, the North Broward Bureau, or the Paul Rein Detention Facility, all in Pompano Beach. It does not change your cost, but it helps us move faster if you know where they are when you call. Either way, we post bonds at every Broward County jail, around the clock.
Once the bond is posted, release usually takes a few hours. The exact time depends on the jail's processing speed and how busy booking is that night, but in most cases families are reunited the same day. We post the bond as soon as the paperwork and payment plan are squared away, day or night, weekends and holidays included.
You do not have to figure this out alone at 2am. Licensed bail bond agent Bianca DiGennaro (Lic. #W660498) and the Mz Bee's team answer the phone 24/7, explain the cost up front, set up a payment plan you can live with, and get the bond posted fast. Call (305) 783-7006 with the defendant's name and the jail, and we will take it from there.
A licensed agent answers 24/7, call any time, day or night.