Florida County Court Records

The courts in each Florida county act as the custodians of valuable personal records pertaining to the residents. There was a time when accessing the court records was so difficult that it was almost an impossible job.

The Chief Justice in each Florida county is in charge of the system that manages the maintenance of public records, including court records. This duty is executed through the functioning of the Committee on Privacy and Court Records.

Gaining Access to the Court Records of Your Florida County

Most of the important Florida county court records can be accessed in their electronic format from the courthouses themselves. There was a time when the records were all maintained as hard copies only, but with these being digital it has now become much easier to store and retrieve them when needed.

There exists a specific Administrative Order (AOSC04-4) in the legal system of Florida which guarantees the availability of the public records you need, whenever needed. What this means is that you can legally ask for the record any time you need and the authorities are legally obliged to share it with you.

Types of Public Records in Florida County Courts

The public records that are maintained in the databases of the courts in each Florida county can be broadly categorized in the following types:

i)    Birth records,
ii)    Death records,
iii)    Marriage records,
iv)    Divorce records,
v)    Criminal records, and
vi)    Genealogy records

The birth records that any Florida County Clerk of Court has at his/her disposal are used to keep track of all the births within the county. All details pertaining to the newborn baby, as well as the economic conditions of the parents can all be found in the birth record documents.

The Florida County Clerk of Courts also keeps record of all the deaths that occur in the county. You will find the name of the deceased person, along with his/her age and the causes of death.

The criminal records kept in the databases of any Florida county are instrumental in helping to determine if a person happens to have been convicted in a criminal case in the past. You can even look into the legal background of any one with the help of these records.

The courts in the counties of Florida maintain records of the licenses of marriages (together with the marriage certificates). The names, ages, venues and other relevant information related to the married couples are all conserved with the legal authorities of the county.

Copies of divorce records can also be maintained by the courthouses of each Florida county. These records keep valuable information regarding the personal assets of estranged couples, which might be kept in a restricted manner.

With the help of the facilities that the Florida county court systems provide, you can easily view any public record as per your requirements. However, you will still need to submit requests in the prescribed formats.