Monday, November 18, 2013

Florida Public Records Search

By Ben Kingsley


The Freedom of Information Act has mandated the government of Florida to allow the local residents to access their personal documents. Florida public records can be easily requested by the residents and other individuals if they have been granted to do so.

There are several types of public documents that the residents of Florida can access. Personal files are those that can help identify an individual such as birth and marriage certificates. Divorce and death certificates are also examples of personal documents that are opened to the public. Records which document the violations and offenses committed by an individual are categorized under the criminal records. This includes police reports, arrest documents and criminal records.

Each document is used in its own unique way. Updating the family history records are the primary use of personal documents. However, divorce records are usually the last document used as reference since it is not that important in genealogy research. Government transactions would require any of the public documents to use it as legal proof of identity and status. Divorce certificates and marriage licenses are checked when verifying the marital status of an individual. Criminal records are one of the sources of information when conducting a background check. Owners of businesses would refer to criminal files of their people to ensure that they have qualified employees with no criminal history. It is also used as part of the investigation process of authorities and investigators.

Getting a copy of a public document in the state of Florida would cost a certain amount but this usually varies on the type of file that is being requested as well as where it was obtained. In requesting for a public document, it is important to provide the basic information of the record that is being requested. This helps start the search and to simplify the retrieval process. One should also indicate their contact details on the request form since it will be used as reference because the copy of the document can only be given to the individual whose name is found on the file and his/her immediate family. One should give the office several days to process the request. It can take longer if problems are encountered during the retrieval process.

Birth, marriage death and divorce files are managed by the state's Vital statistics office under the Department of Health. Criminal records, on the other hand, can be requested at the state's Department of Public Safety. The local county clerk office and court house can also assist in getting the needed documents if going to the state office is not possible. Both offices accept mail in requests. But it usually takes longer than the usual delivery time. This is why the Internet is used as a medium to deliver information to the public.

Public records are now available with the help of the Internet. It is easy and fast. One simply needs to log on to a website that offers to obtain the record and fill out the web form and send it virtually. The results are obtained after doing only a few clicks on the mouse.




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