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.
Florida records are grouped into two categories: personal documents and criminal files. Personal files include the birth and death certificates as well as the marriage and divorce licenses issued in the state. Criminal records are issued to individuals who have been reported for crimes and violations. Such violations are documented in the form of a criminal file, arrest or a police report.
Residents of Florida request for their personal documents to use it in several ways. Birth, marriage and death certificates are the resources used when conducting a genealogy research. The information that is found on these documents is important in updating the family history. Divorce records are also used but not as much as the other documents. Most transactions in the government would call for any of the personal records. It is used as proof of one\'s identity and status. Marriage and divorce files are sometimes used to conduct a background check especially on the marital status of an individual. Criminal background check is the primary use of any of the criminal records. Employers use it to check the background of their people and authorities use it when conducting their investigation.
In order to get a copy of any of the public document in the state of Florida, one has to prepare fees for the retrieval process. Fees would vary depending on the document being requested as well as the place of request. The basic detail about the record that is being obtained has to be known and indicated on the request form. Although, the documents are opened to the public, only the person himself and his immediate family are allowed to request for the documents. This is the reason why the application form required individuals to provide their contact details. Getting a copy of a public document may take several days. Delays can be experienced if issues are faced during the retrieval process.
It is important that one knows where to request for the document in order to avoid delay. The Vital Statistics of the Department of Health is responsible for managing the birth, marriage, divorce and death records of Florida. The Department of Public Safety office is the one that manages the criminal records of the state. The county clerk and county court house can also provide the record if the state office is too far. Mail order can also be sent to the office but this can take longer. The long wait time can be avoided if the search is done online.
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.
