Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Florida Public Records

By Ben Kingsley


Since the implementation of the Freedom of Information Act, the State of Florida Public Records have been made opened to the local residents of the state. By making it public, the residents have the visibility and have control over their personal documents as well as their safety. Criminal records are one of the documents that have been opened to the public.

The public documents of Florida are grouped into two categories: personal files and criminal reports. Records of birth, death, marriage and divorce are usually used to prove one's identity and status. Each of the documents has its own unique function. A good example for this is for insurance, one would need to secure a copy of a death certificate. Criminal records on the other hand are the source of information when conducting a background check.

Each type of document would contain information relevant to the event it represents. A death certificate would contain information as to when and where the person died. The same goes for other types of document. Marriage records would have information about the marriage of a couple and divorce records would indicate the place and the date when the separation was made legal. A criminal record would then show details about the crimes and violations that an individual has committed. All of the public document would indicate the personal details of the person on the file which includes the real name and the date and place of birth.

There are certain offices in Florida where one can obtain a copy of any of the public document. Birth, marriage, death and divorce files are archived at the state's office of the Vital Records. Fees are from $5 to $20 depending on the type of file being requested. Criminal records can be requested at the state's Department of Public Safety and it usually cost a minimum of $20 which may vary as well. If going to the state offices is not possible, the county clerk office can help you with the search.

Although the documents are open to the public, the state of Florida only allows the person on the file and their immediate relatives to get a copy of the document. A special request has to be filed in order to gain access to the records of another individual. It is also important that the basic details of the document being obtained have to be provided during the search. One also has to indicate their contact details on the request form in order to proceed with the retrieval. This is especially true when obtaining a copy of a criminal record.

With the Internet used as a tool for sharing information, getting any of the public documents of Florida is now a breeze. Doing the search online makes it faster and convenient. A lot of websites are now offering to get a copy of any of the public documents of the state. Some would even offer a free government public records search.




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