Florida Civil Court Records

Two trial-level and two appellate-level courts make up Florida's court system. Circuit and County Courts are the trial courts, while Courts of Appeal and the Supreme Court are the appeals courts.

There are 67 County Courts, 20 Circuit Courts, and 5 District Courts of Appeal in Florida. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is in charge of running the judicial branch of the state.

The Circuit Courts or the County Courts handle most civil cases in the state. When the amount in dispute is less than $30,000, the County Courts have general jurisdiction over legal actions in these cases. On the other hand, the Circuit Courts hear all legal actions with more than $30,000.

The Court of Appeal takes the cases from these trial courts when necessary. The state's highest court is the Supreme Court, which can review the decisions of the Courts of Appeal.

Can you get copies of the Florida Civil Court Records? As per Florida Rule of Judicial Administration 2.420, you have a presumptive right to access all court records with the court clerk.

These records include transcripts,  case dockets, motions filed by parties, filed exhibits, and descriptions of how the case turned out.

Some court records may become private if their release will threaten justice or if there is no reasonable cause to do so.

Florida Bankruptcy Records are filings for bankruptcy and court cases in the state.

The Florida bankruptcy cases are heard in federal bankruptcy courts and ruled on by federal laws.

These courts, located in the Northern, Middle, and Southern districts of Florida, are responsible for producing and maintaining bankruptcy records and handling requests for public documents.

Most individuals in the state file for Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy. If you are unaware of the distinctions between the two, the explanation below can help you:

Chapter 7 Bankruptcy

Chapter 7 bankruptcy in Florida allows debtors to sell their assets and properties.

The bankruptcy court appoints a trustee to liquidate the debtor's non-exempt assets and properties to repay creditors.

Under Chapter 7, you can get rid of your debts, no matter how much you owe. Such obligations include personal loans, medical bills, and income tax debts.

But note that this bankruptcy type is impossible for debts like spousal support, court fees and fines, and child support.

A debtor's credit record may show a Chapter 7 bankruptcy for up to 10 years.

Chapter 13 Bankruptcy

Chapter 13 bankruptcy in Florida lets you make plans to pay back debts. It is only for people who have a steady income.

Those who want to file a Chapter 13 will avoid having their assets sold, which means they will still have control over them—most plans for paying back loans last between 3 and 5 years.

A debtor's credit record may show a Chapter 13 bankruptcy for up to 7 years.

In addition to Chapter 7 and Chapter 13, Florida has Chapter 11 and Chapter 12 as options for bankruptcy.

How To Find Florida Bankruptcy Records?

If you want to look at or copy records, you should go to the clerk's office that first got the bankruptcy petition. You can typically find the local form (the NATF Form 90) for the request at the clerk's office.

If you want copies of records from the Florida Middle Bankruptcy Court, you must fill out a Copy Request Form, send payment, and include a self-addressed, stamped envelope.

You can also get information or records about bankruptcy from the courts' records systems, called McVCIS and PACER.

Lastly, the Complex Case Registry has information about complex bankruptcy cases in the state.

On a Florida Bankruptcy Record, you can anticipate the following information:

• The debtor's assets and sources of income
• Personal information about the debtor and their attorney (if any)
• Case status
• Chapter type petitioned
• The dates of filing, closure, and discharge
• The U.S. trustee's details
• A list of creditors with names, addresses, and amounts owed
• The court and the presiding judge

A property lien is part of the Florida Civil Court Records claiming on the real or personal property of a debtor recognized and enforced by law to secure the debt payment.

By putting this lien on the property, the debtor's property becomes collateral for the debts. If the debtors still have the obligations, the law lets the creditor sell or seize the property to get the money back.

The most common types of Florida Property Lien Records are the following:

Judgment Lien

By recording or filing this lien with the proper authority, creditors can get money damages by selling or seizing a debtor's non-exempt property.

After recording, the judgment lien on real property is valid for ten years, starting from the recording date ( 55.10, Fla. Stat.).

Mortgage Lien

Florida mortgage liens apply to any homeowners who purchase or refinance using a mortgage loan. The debtor consents to this lien as a loan condition.

It guarantees that the owner pays on time until the entire property value is delivered. Otherwise, the creditor may sell or repossess it.

UCC Lien

Like the other states in the U.S., Florida has adopted the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) and written them down in Title XXXIX: Commercial Relations.

Under these regulations, a UCC lien is a creditor's notification of interest in a debtor's property.

With this filing, the creditor has the right to legally confiscate the debtor's assets or property if the debtor misses a payment.

If you want to file for this lien, visit the Florida Secured Transaction Registry.

Other than judgment, mortgage, and UCC liens, expect to encounter tax and mechanic's liens in the Florida Property Lien Records.

How To Check Florida Property Lien Records?

To check for Florida liens, you must determine which government agency is in charge of the records.

In Florida, different agencies handle different types of liens. For example, the Florida Department of State keeps all judgment liens on personal property. You can use the department's online search portal to look up these lien records.

Also, some counties have websites with public records that can help you find if there are any liens against a specific name or property.

For instance, in Orange County, you can use this web page, as it keeps track of liens by listing the name and legal description of the property owner.

Florida Civil Driving Violation Records are moving or non-moving offenses (also called traffic infractions) that pedestrians, cyclists, or drivers commit on Florida's roads or highways.

Some examples of Civil Driving Violation Records in the state are:

• Red-light violations
• Texting while driving
• Speeding
• Driving recklessly
• Violation of traffic control device requirements
• Tailgating or following too closely
• Improper backing, parking, turning, passing, and lane changes
• Unsafe or faulty vehicle equipment

One thing that makes these violations different from others is that a person who breaks them won't go to prison. It means it will not show up on Florida's criminal record.

But there may be other consequences, such as fines, probation, traffic school, community service, or a license suspension.

How To Look Up Florida Civil Driving Violation Records?

You can request your driving records from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles ( FLHSMV).

In Florida, you can also look at traffic case records for free through a web-based database that your court clerk keeps open to the public.

You will, most of the time, need a citation number, case number, or a defendant's name.

Additionally, you can go to the courthouse where a case occurred. Under Florida's Sunshine Law, you don't have to pay money to look at or inspect a traffic case record in the state.

The Florida Legal Judgment Records are the files that include the state court's rulings on civil and criminal matters.

It is called a judgment when judges or juries hear and rule on a dispute between two people or groups. It aims to spell out the responsibilities, rights, and liabilities of the people involved in a legal case.

Chapter 5 of the Florida Statutes sets rules for the general form of judgments, the rate of interest, the rights of sureties, the repercussions of failing to register the decision, and other matters. Apart from that, it gives broad rules for recovering a judgment debt.

How To Look Up Florida Legal Judgment Records?

One way to find Florida Legal Judgment Records is to go to the courthouse that handled the case. Then, request the written records from the court clerk, who will provide you with a form to complete.

You can also look at these court records online for different counties in Florida. For example, the clerk of courts for Broward County has a case search portal that permits you to look for specific records.

Also, the records department of the court clerk in Washington County has a website for this purpose.

When you have this record, expect to see the following:

• Names of the parties
• Name of the judge
• The judgment date
• The issued judgment
• The specific claims of the parties involved

All written and collated material concerning a small claims case is in the Small Claims Records of Florida Civil Court Records.

In Florida, a Small Claims Court is a court that handles minor civil disputes where the amount at stake is less than $8,000. This amount does not include court costs,  interest, or attorney fees.

Most of the cases in Florida Small Claims Court involve injuries, broken contracts, and other low-level civil disputes like:

• Arrest without cause
• Damage to the person, like a dog bite
• Damages that happened while delivering the service
• Evictions
• Libel, slander, or smearing a person's name
• Loan repayments
• Not living up to the terms of the contract
• Security deposit

To file for a small claims case in the state, you must be eighteen years old and within the court's claim limit in Florida. You must only file the lawsuit in the appropriate county.

After filing, each party's pleadings, subpoenas, court notifications, counterclaims, summonses, appeals, trial transcripts, evidence, and judgments will be part of the Florida Small Claims Records.

How To Look Up Florida Small Claims Records?

The clerk of courts at the courthouse where a case filing and hearing occurred keeps Florida Small Claims Records.

To locate a specific small claims case, you must identify the court where the matter concluded. If uncertain, try tracking the case based on the location of the occurrence. According to court regulations, the filing court must be in the same county as the event that initiated the lawsuit.

So, visit your local county's Court Clerk's office and ask for information.

In Florida, a divorce starts after filing a formal petition. By requesting a divorce, a married person tries to get a court order that legally ends their marriage. But in Florida, each spouse who wants a divorce must have a legal reason.

To learn more about divorce proceedings in the state, you can read the Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure or ask the Florida Circuit Court's Family Division which handles divorce cases.

After filing, the working court will put the information on the Florida Divorce Court Records, which can be in the form of the following:

Divorce Certificate

Most people who want a Florida Divorce Court Record ask for a divorce certificate because it is the easiest to get but gives the least amount of information.

It shows details about a divorce agreement, like:

• The names of the parties involved in the divorce
• The date and time of the final divorce
• Where they got divorced

The people involved are the only ones who can get an official or certified copy of the divorce certificate, but anyone can look at the record online.

Divorce Decree

The divorce decree has more information than a divorce document.

A Florida divorce decree has all the same information as a divorce certificate, but it also has the judgment order and the court's final ruling.

Each divorce decree is different, but they spell out the rights and responsibilities of each person in the divorce like:

• Spousal support
• Child support
• Child custody
• Visitation times
• Property division

This divorce document is only available to the person who filed the divorce papers, their ex-spouse, and the lawyers present during the proceedings.

Divorce Record

Along with the information in the other two types of divorce documents (divorce certificate and decree), divorce records have the following information:

• Agreed-upon financial entitlements or settlements
• Filed evidence
• Judgments
• Motions
• Probationary clauses
• Protective orders or similar arrangements
• Terms of shared child custody
• Testimonies
• Transcripts of court proceedings
• Other details about the case parties and witnesses

Divorce records in Florida are more public than divorce certificates or decrees.

How To Look Up Florida Divorce Court Records?

Apart from visiting the office, Florida Divorce Court Records are available on the county clerk's website.

On the Florida Courts website, there is a list of links to all Florida Circuit Courts websites. Visit your county's Circuit Court and go to the page where you can access court records. From there, you can look at marriage dissolution records in the state.

You can get these records in the same way as other court records: by making a formal request, showing proof of identity, and paying the fees that come with it.

Probate is a court-supervised process for finding and gathering a deceased person's assets, paying off the decedent's debts, and giving them to their beneficiaries.

Among probate matters in the state are:

• Wills
• Estates
• Trusts.

Proceedings for probate in Florida begin with the circuit court clerk in the county where the deceased person lived at the time of death.

After you file for probate, the clerk assigns a file number to any paperwork you submit for the deceased's probate estate.

You can find the state rules for probate proceedings in the Florida Probate Rules.

Most Florida Probate Court Records are public records. However, inventories and accountings filed in estates are private, and only the personal representative, their attorney, or an "interested party," as defined by Florida probate laws, can see these documents.

Where can you obtain Florida Probate Court Records? The circuit court clerk in the appropriate county can give you copies of the desired documents in the records.

You can look at most outdated civil court cases in Florida.

To find Florida Civil Court Records, you can use online portals that many County Courts have set up.

You can find information about court cases on the District Courts of Appeal docket portal and the Supreme Court docket portal, which are both parts of the Florida court system.

After the case's conclusion, the Florida Supreme Court delivers the records to the Florida State Archives or gives them back to the court clerk in the county where the lawsuit started.

So, if you want to see these civil court cases in Florida, you should visit your local county clerk or ask the Division of Library and Information Services (DLIS).

There may be small fees for in-person requests, but access to most remote access provisions is free.

Note that some records, like those from juvenile court, are private in Florida.