Osceola County Court Records Lookup

The following is for information purposes only

With the Hispanic ethnic group constituting more than half of its population, roughly 393,745 people live in Osceola County. The county was created in 1887, and the county seat is Kissimmee. The Osceola County court system operates under the jurisdiction of the Ninth Judicial Circuit of Florida. It is a two-tier trial court system, which includes a Circuit Court and a County Court, working together to guarantee impartial justice administration.

Both Circuit and County Courts in Osceola County handle civil matters but have different jurisdictions. The Circuit Court handles all civil actions in which the amount in controversy exceeds $50,000, while the county court handles landlord-tenant disputes and small claims cases. In criminal matters, the circuit court hears all criminal felonies, while the county court focuses on misdemeanors and criminal traffic offenses. Furthermore, the Osceola County Circuit Court has jurisdiction over legal matters beyond criminal and civil cases. It has specialized divisions such as the Domestic Relations Division, which focuses on marriage dissolutions and injunctions for domestic violence, and the Probate Division, which handles wills, guardianship, and involuntary hospitalization cases. The Juvenile Division handles juvenile delinquency and dependency matters, while the Traffic Division holds hearings for cases involving violations of traffic laws.

In Osceola County, the county court handles the most cases, with a majority being civil matters. This court handles approximately 30,000 civil cases and 6,000 criminal cases annually. On the other hand, the circuit court administers close to 2,500 criminal and 4,000 civil cases. In addition, the probate court sees a bit above 1,500 cases each year. The Osceola Clerk of the Circuit Court and County Comptroller maintain all court records. All records are accessible to the public, but some may be closed in order to protect the administration of justice. Most importantly, interested parties can search court records or request e-certified copies from the clerk's website. For records that are sealed due to their nature if case, an in-person visit would be required to make a request for access.

To summarize, the circuit and county courts are responsible for upholding the law in Osceola County. While the county court handles misdemeanor criminal and smaller civil cases. In contrast, the circuit court presides over felony criminal, larger civil disputes, probate, juvenile, traffic, and domestic relations cases. The county provides its residents with quick access to court records through the clerk's website.