Public Records Request
**NOTICES**
Notice of the Right of Any Affected Party to Request the Addition of Information to a Publicly Available Internet Website
Any affected person has a right to request that a county recorder or Clerk of the Court add information to a publicly available Internet website if that information involves the identity of a respondent against whom a final judgment for an injunction for the protection of a minor under s. 741.30, s. 784.046, or s. 784.0485, F.S., is entered unless the respondent is a minor. The request must be in writing and contain the case number. To make a request contact the Jefferson County Clerk’s Office by mail or in person at our office by email at jwelty@jeffersonclerk.com, or by phone at 850-342-0218.
Notice of the Right of Any Affected Party to Request Removal of Certain Chapter 119 Information or Records
Any person has a right to request that a county recorder remove, from a publicly available Internet website, information made exempt from inspection or copying under s. 119.071, F.S., or an image or copy of a public record, including an official record, if that image or copy is of a military discharge; death certificate, or a court file, record, or paper relating to matters or cases governed by the Florida Rules of Family Law, the Florida Rules of Juvenile Procedure, or the Florida Probate Rules. However, grantor, grantee, or party names may not be removed from the Official Records index unless the grantor, grantee, or party name includes a street address, such as in a Trust or LLC. Requests must be notarized, state the statutory basis for removal, and confirm the individual's eligibility for the exemption. To make a request, contact the Jefferson County Clerk's Office by mail or in person at 1 Courthouse Circle, Monticello, FL 32344.
General Information
Public Records are documents sent to, generated, or received by the Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller. Many records are available to anyone who requests them. Certain documents or files will contain confidential information exempt from public disclosure, such as cases involving minor children.
According to state law, all state, county, and municipal non-exempt records are open for personal inspection and copying by anyone.
If the nature or volume of the public records requests to be inspected or copied requires extensive use of information technology resources or extensive clerical or personnel assistance, the Clerk may charge the requestor the associated cost and the actual cost of any duplication. In an extensive use situation, you may be asked to pay a portion of the estimated costs before the request is filled and the remainder of the price shall be due upon the records being made available.
Florida Statute, Chapter 119.01 - General State Policy on Public Records
Obtaining Records
Many records maintained by the Jefferson County Clerk's Office can be accessed via our website. To search Court Records, visit Jefferson County OCRS (civitekflorida.com). To search Official Records, see Official Records of Jefferson County Florida (jeffersonclerk.com). These records include information on deeds, mortgages, et cetera. Documents dated before 1954 and marriage licenses dated before 1993 are maintained in hardcopy format and cannot be accessed online. Most Family Law cases including Probate are not included on our website and must be formally requested.
To submit a Public Records Request, visit Contact Jefferson County Clerk of Courts (jeffersonclerk.com) and submit a description of your request. Our office charges a dollar per page of the request, even if they are sent via PDF. We also charge based on the time it takes our Deputy Clerk(s) to complete your request. The first 30 minutes are free, and after that, we charge an hourly rate which differs based on the Deputy Clerk who completes your request.
You may also submit a Public Records Request by mailing it to our office at 1 Courthouse Circle, Monticello, FL 32344 ATTN: Public Records Request.
The Sunshine Law: Sunshine Review Act
Florida has the most expansive open government laws in the country. Florida began its tradition of openness back in 1909 with the passage of Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes or the “Public Records Law.” This law provides that any records made or received by any public agency in the course of its official business are available for inspection unless specifically exempted by the Florida Legislature. Over the years, the definition of what constitutes “public records” has come to include not only traditional written documents such as papers, maps, and books, but also tapes, photographs, film, sound recordings, and records stored in computers.
Florida's Government-in-the-Sunshine Law was enacted in 1967. Today, the Sunshine Law regarding open government can be found in Chapter 286 of the Florida Statutes. These statutes establish a basic right of access to most meetings of boards, commissions, and other governing bodies of state and local governmental agencies or authorities.
Open government law has proceeded on three different, but related, tracks: statutory public records, statutory public meetings, and judicial access decisional law. Florida public records law is codified at F.S.119.01 to 119.15 (1995). The open meeting statute is commonly called the Florida Sunshine Law and is codified at F.S. 286.011 to 286.012 (1991). Both open government statutes have been broadly construed by the judiciary and the Florida attorney general's office, and reflect a comprehensive policy of open government. Florida courts have broadly granted access to judicial records and proceedings. Exemptions to the Sunshine Law are not nearly as numerous as exemptions to the public records law. The Sunshine Review Act also applies to the open meeting statute; thus, exemptions to open meeting requirements are reviewed in the same manner as discussed above in reference to open records exemptions. F.S. 286.0111 (1995).
The Attorney General's Office compiles a comprehensive guide known as the Government in the Sunshine Manual to assist the public and governmental agencies in understanding the requirements and exemptions to Florida's open government laws. The manual is published each year at no taxpayer expense by the First Amendment Foundation in Tallahassee.