Florida Public Records Directory

The southernmost state in the contiguous United States is the state of Florida. It is the 22nd largest state in the U.S. comprising 65,755 sq. miles with 67 counties. The state is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, and to the south by the Straits of Florida. Florida lies west of The Bahamas and 90 miles north of Cuba. About two-thirds of Florida occupies a peninsula between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. With a coastline of approximately 1,350 miles, Florida has the longest coastline in the contiguous U.S.

Florida’s climate varies from subtropical in the north to tropical in the south. It is the only state in the continental U.S. with a tropical climate. The nickname for Florida is the “Sunshine State,” but severe weather is common. Central Florida is known as the lightning capital of the U.S., with more lightning strikes than anywhere else in the U.S. It has one of the highest average precipitation of any state with afternoon thunderstorms common. Florida leads the U.S. in tornadoes but they do not reach the intensity of those in the Midwest. However, hurricanes do pose a severe threat each year.

Florida was the first region of the continental U.S. to be visited and settled by Europeans. The earliest known European explorers came from Spain. In 1763, Spain traded Florida to Great Britain for control of Cuba, which had been captured by the British. The British divided and consolidated the Florida provinces into East Florida and West Florida. Spain regained both East and West Florida after Britain’s defeat in the American Revolutionary War. In 1810, parts of West Florida were annexed into part of the Louisiana Purchase. On March 3, 1845, Florida became the 27th state to join the Union.

Florida was the least populated state in the southern U.S. until the mid-20th century. In 1939, Florida was still described as “largely an empty state.” Eventually, the growing availability of air conditioning, the climate, and a low cost of living made the state a haven. Florida currently has an estimated population of 20,984,400, making it the 3rd most populated state. It contains the highest percentage of people over 65 and about two-thirds of the population was born in another state. Today, Florida is distinctive for its Cuban community and is a reflection of multiple cultural influences that can be found in the architecture and cuisine.

The largest metropolitan area in the entire southeastern U.S. is the Miami metropolitan area with about 6.06 million people. The Tampa Bay area, with over 3.2 million people, is the second largest. Orlando and Jacksonville are third and fourth, respectively. Tallahassee, the state capital, is the largest city in the Florida panhandle region with a population of 190,894.

Citrus fruit, especially oranges, are a major part of Florida’s economy and produces the majority of citrus fruit grown in the U.S. Florida is renowned for amusement parks, winter vegetables, the Kennedy Space Center, and as a popular destination for retirees. Many beach towns are popular tourist destinations, especially during winter and spring break. Amusement parks in the greater Orlando area make up a significant portion of the tourism. Florida has set tourism records for six consecutive years. It is also known for golf, tennis, auto racing and water sports.^[1]

The selection of Florida public records listed below are sorted into seven general categories for easy access.

Abbreviation	FL
Capital	Tallahassee
Population	20,984,400 (2017 est.)
Area size	65,755 sq. mi.
Demonym	Floridian
Primary languages spoken	English
Governor	Rick Scott
Lieutenant Governor	Carlos Lopez-Cantera
U.S. Senators	Bill Nelson, Marco Rubio
U.S. House Delegation	16 Republicans, 11 Democrats
Time Zone – Peninsula & Big Bend - Panhandle West of the Apalachicola River	Eastern: UTC -5/-4 Central: UTC -6/-5

*The map and data in the table are from Wikipedia.

Browse by Public Record Category

There are two types of public records; 1) personal public records that document major life milestones such as birth certificates, death certificates, divorce records, and marriage records, etc.; and 2) government records that are made public such as property tax records, recorded land records, voter records, crime data, jail inmate records, and court records. The Freedom of Information Act is a national law that releases government agency public records and makes it possible to view most public records.^[2] Florida Statue Chapter 119, Section 1, states that “all state, county, and municipal records are open for personal inspection and copying by any person.”^[3]

Since there are a multitude of records available, it can be difficult to know how or where to access them. When you are ready to start your search, you’ll find our Public Records Directory website easy to use since all of the records can be searched by federal, state, county, city, town or type of record. The links provided will connect you to the best website for the record search, provide details about the record, or provide contact information for those records without search capabilities.