Florida Public Records: How to Perform a Florida Public Records Search

The state of Florida, like many other states in the US, grants its residents access to its public records. 

Most people leverage this provision to get all sorts of information about themselves or other persons in the state.

You can be more confident about leasing your property after you've run a criminal background check on your prospective tenant. 

And if you have any reservations about a business deal, you can check if your partner has a thing or two with the law by viewing their court records.

Whichever is the motivation for you in your quest to find public records in Florida, this article will show you how to find the record of interest to you. 

You can find any of the named Florida public record types in traditional state agencies or on third-party websites that only request the name of the record holder and the state/city/county where the record is held.

 
Florida Public Records: Court Records 

If you have a history with any of the courts in Florida, you can be sure that the court in question has filed copies of your case proceedings in their archive or case management system. 

You can find your case/court records by visiting the court in question and requesting an audience with the clerk of the court, the court's official record custodian in most cases.

Using your name or that of any party to this Florida public record, the attorney's name, or your case docket number as a search parameter, you can find your court record in online repositories managed by courts with digital databases. 

Otherwise, you can search through print archives for the record bearing any of your search parameters.

You'd have to pay a small fee to cover the hours of work from the court's staff and the cost of copying each page. 

You should find all sorts of court records, from dispositions and case summaries to orders, and judgments. 

Florida Public Records: Criminal Records

Criminal records in Florida are primarily managed and updated by law enforcement agencies—from the Police department to the Sheriffs at the county level. 

Several counties in Florida as well as other law enforcement agencies have adopted online data management systems, with search portals for finding warrants and options for running criminal background checks as major highlights.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement(FDLE) is an example of one agency, with its Criminal History Record Check website and its capacity to produce rigorous background checks as its star feature. 

With as little as the name of your subject, their date of birth, gender, race, and any other information as prompted, you can run a criminal background check on a person and view their criminal history in the state. 

This is after you've paid the $25 service charge and provided the information needed to use in identifying you. 

Florida Public Records: Marriage & Divorce Records  

Obtaining your marriage record begins with a stop at the Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics or a visit to its official website. 

If you opt for the latter, you'll be asked to download a marriage record application form and fill it with details such as your identification details and some key information about the record in question.

You also have to attach a Valid ID or a driver's license and then add the $5 service charge to your application packet. 

Next, send the whole package to the office address—at 1217 N Pearl Street, Jacksonville, FL 32202, or via email to:

Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics
P.O. Box 210,
Jacksonville, Fl 32231-0042

If you're looking for Divorce Records, you can make inquiries at the office of the clerk in any of the circuit courts around the judicial district that is responsible for settling the divorce. 

This is besides the capacity of the Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics to handle divorce records applications, as the primary record custodian agency. 

The agency demands an initial $5 in addition to an extra $4 for each additional certification. Then there's a $2 charge per additional search for a different year. 

Florida Public Records: Birth & Death Records 

Florida's birth records/birth certificates are handed out to eligible requesters by the Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics and any of the Local County Health Departments in the state. 

On one hand, the record holders, their immediate family members, or legal representatives are still required to present a valid photo ID before their application can be screened.

For requesters other than the aforementioned, an affidavit to the effect of the release of the Florida public record must be signed by any of the eligible persons, notarized, and then included in the application form. It can then be delivered to the following email address:

Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics,
1217 N Pearl Street,
P.O. Box 210,
Jacksonville, Fl 32231-004

The same applies to Death Records/Certificate requests applications, with the application forms to be submitted along with the standard charges and ID specifications in person or by mail to the same email address. 

You can expect to receive the requested records in a few weeks, although in-person requests cut back on this waiting period by a sizable chunk of time.