Florida Court Records

Florida has some of the most open public records laws in the country, and its constitution extends the right of access to the judicial branch. In practice, that means most Florida court records are public and most county clerks post dockets, and often documents, online.

There is no single public search across all 67 counties. Each elected Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller runs a separate system, so you need to know, or guess, the county.

How Florida's courts are organized

Florida has a two-tier trial court system and a two-tier appellate system.

Searching Florida court records online

Start with the clerk of court website for the county where the case was filed. Statewide tools exist for appellate courts and for some limited users.

• Florida Courts: Clerks of courtDirectory of every county Clerk of the Circuit Court, most of which offer free online case searches.
• Florida appellate case search (ACIS)Dockets and filings for the Supreme Court and the District Courts of Appeal.
• Florida Courts E-Filing PortalThe statewide e-filing portal used by attorneys and self-represented parties.

Getting records from the clerk's office

Each county's clerk of court keeps the records for both the circuit and county courts in that county, as well as the county's official records such as deeds and mortgages. Most clerks let the public view non-confidential court documents online for free or for a small fee, and provide copies and certified copies at the courthouse or by mail.

In larger counties, the clerk's online search often reaches back decades for docket information, while scanned documents may only go back to the early 2000s.

• Florida Courts: Public recordsHow public access to Florida court records works.

What is public, and what is not

Article I, section 24 of the Florida Constitution gives everyone the right to inspect public records of all three branches of government, including the courts. Florida Rule of General Practice and Judicial Administration 2.420 lists the court records that are confidential, such as adoption, juvenile, and Baker Act (mental health) records, and lets courts seal records after specific findings.

Florida allows a person to seal or expunge a criminal history record once in a lifetime, in most cases, after getting a certificate of eligibility from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Sealed records are hidden from the public; expunged records are destroyed or kept confidential.

• FDLE seal and expunge processEligibility rules and applications for sealing and expunging Florida records.

Older and archived records

Clerks keep many court records permanently, often on microfilm, under state retention schedules. Historical Supreme Court case files and some territorial and early county court records are held by the State Archives of Florida.

• State Archives of FloridaFlorida Memory provides access to the State Archives' historical records.

Criminal history and background records

A court file tells you what happened in one case in one court. A criminal history record (often called a rap sheet) pulls together arrests, charges and outcomes reported from across the state, so it is a different product kept by a different agency.

Florida criminal history records are public. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement sells statewide name-based searches to anyone.

• FDLE criminal history searchOnline statewide criminal history search for a fee per name.
• FDLE sexual offender and predator searchPublic search of registered sexual offenders and predators.
• Florida Department of Corrections offender searchFind inmates, people on supervision and released offenders.

Federal court records in Florida

Federal cases, including federal crimes, bankruptcies, and lawsuits over federal law or between citizens of different states, are not filed in Florida's state courts. Florida is divided into 3 federal judicial districts, and each has its own clerk's office:

• Northern District of Florida
• Middle District of Florida
• Southern District of Florida

Federal case files are searched through PACER, the federal judiciary's records system. PACER charges a small fee per page, but you pay nothing if your charges stay under the quarterly fee-waiver threshold, court opinions are free, and every federal courthouse has public terminals you can use at no cost. Many PACER documents have also been copied into the free RECAP Archive on CourtListener. Appeals from Florida's federal courts go to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

Tips for a faster search

• Florida uses a statewide Uniform Case Number format that includes the county number, year, court type (such as CF for circuit felony or CC for county criminal) and sequence number.
• Some clerks restrict online images of documents in family and probate cases to registered users. If a document is blocked online, the clerk can still provide a copy.
• Search both the county where an event happened and the county where a person lives; family and civil cases are often filed where a party resides.
• Have the full names of the parties, the county and a rough date range ready. A case number is the fastest way in if you have one.
• Online indexes are not the official record. If a decision depends on it, get a copy (or a certified copy) from the clerk's office that holds the file.

Legal help and law libraries

Clerks and law librarians can explain how to find a record, but they cannot give legal advice. These organizations can point you in the right direction:

• Florida Supreme Court Law LibraryPublic legal research help in Tallahassee.
• Florida Law HelpLegal information and a directory of legal aid programs.
• Florida Courts self-helpFamily law forms and self-help resources.

This guide is general information about public records, not legal advice. Court websites, fees and rules change, so confirm details with the court before you rely on them. Civics-Online.org is not affiliated with any court or government agency.