Pinellas County is located in Florida, and in particular on the West of the central coast of the State.
The county seat is Clearwater but the largest city is St.Petersburg which is also the largest city in Florida that’s not a county seat.
In this article, we are going to tell you everything about Pinellas County Public Records.
Pinellas County is mainly known for its beaches and its natural attraction, like the Fort De Soto Park;
But there are also many other places of interest like the Salvador Dalì Museum or the many restaurants where you can dine outside and have a taste of fish cooked according to the local traditions.
What does the law of Florida say about public records?
In Florida, the law, and in particular the Florida Constitution and Florida Status, safeguards the right of every citizen to access public records and government meetings.
Regarding the access to public records in Florida, disclosure is the standard.
So, unless the law provides for an exception or a particular record is confidential, every Floridian has the right to access public records.
How can I get access to public records in Pinellas County?
Pinellas County government is responsible for the conservation and updating of the public records.
So the requests for access have to be submitted to the above Pinellas County Government. But can you physically request such documents?
You can either view records online or in person. In any case, both procedure and the information you need are mainly available online, so an Internet connection is highly recommended.
In particular, the section View Records of the MyPinellasClerk website offers a complete and efficient service when it comes to record access.
View Records Online
Lots of records and documents are available online, which is the easiest, quickest, and also the cheapest way of accessing records.
If any cost is necessary for providing the requested documentation, the requester is responsible for that cost:
That’s why an online request, with documents provided digitally, can make you avoid expenses.
In the “View Records Online” section, you can get access to Court records, Official Records, Tax Deeds & Foreclosures, Other Copies online.
The first thing you need to do is registering for the service. You can register as an attorney or common citizen.
You can also view the records as a non-registered user, in this case, you can get access to any non-confidential record.
Attorney users or registered users can create a free account and can have access to non-confidential documents for Probate and Family Law cases, and – in the case of attorney accounts – even documents on cases for which they represent a party.
View Record in Person
There are many offices throughout Pinellas County that can provide access to physical records.
These are also places where you can consult online records as well if you – for example – need some help or support provided by an expert.
Not every office archives every record, so make sure you check the locations and go to the one that can give access to the records you need.
Many records are electronic but some – and in particular, older records are available in microfilm format or even paper.
As we’ve mentioned, some printing service or other costs are needed, these are the responsibility of the requester.
Can I access Confidential Records?
As we’ve said, Florida’s Constitution gives citizens the right to free access to non-confidential records, but what about confidential ones?
You can still have access to confidential records in Florida, and in Pinellas County, but through a different procedure that requires you to provide some personal data.
So that they can keep count of who gets access to specific data. No fee is requested for access to confidential records.
Keep in mind that some data can be removed from official and court records; data such as social security number, bank account, and credit card numbers.
What type of public records are available in Florida?
Depending on what type of public record you’d like to request, you need to apply to a different archive.
Some types of records, for example, Mental Health Records, can be found in both Clerk of the Court and Florida Department of Health offices, so you’ll need to search both.
This is how the different offices manage the different Public Records.
Clerk of the Court
Here you can find public records relative to:
- Alimony & Divorce
- Board of County COmmissioners’ Board meeting minutes
- Child Support
- County resolutions, ordinances, and contracts
- Court Information
- Custodian of County Funds
- Dock, Dredge, Fill Permits
- Estate & Wills
- Felony Records
- Family Injunctions
- Foreclosures
- Guardianship
- Judgments
- Landlord/Tenant
- Mental Health
- Misdemeanor Records
- Mortgage
- Small Claims
- Tickets (Traffic, Parking, Boating)
- Florida Department of Health
Florida Mental Health Department
Here you can request all the public records relative to:
- Birth Certificates
- Death Certificates
Pinellas County Property Appraiser
- Homestead Exemption
- Property Appraiser Records
Pinellas County Tax Collector
- Motor Vehicle
- Property Taxes
- Tags, titles, registration
Pinellas County Court Record
Court Records of Pinellas County archives records relative to lawsuits, criminal cases, jury duty, traffic tickets, and more.
Both common citizens and attorneys can have access to them, even though attorneys responsible for specific cases can have access to specific tools that can help them with their work.
Depending on the amount of information you need, and what type of record you need access to, you are required to register or not.
There is no need to register for court records public view. It’s usually enough for anyone who needs to research court cases but is not an attorney.
There is a requirement of free attorney registration which will help you to have access to additional tools to manage the case that you are handling.
A free public registration is required for citizens who aren’t attorneys working on a case but who need access to more detailed information, such as documents for family and probate cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
I need a registered account. How can I get it?
Just by filling out the form available here, and emailing a copy to [email protected].
Are every Court Record available on the Court Records View?
Not all documents are available for free access on the Court Records View. Cases relative to special victims, Juvenile Delinquency, or Dependency are subject to a deeper level of security determined by Florida Law.
If I have an attorney account, can I get access to any record?
No, with an attorney account you can access documents that are relative to the cases you are working on.
Amit Gupta is the founder of PublicRecordsSearch.org. Amit has spent half a decade learning about and working in the background screening industry. After completing his high school certification, Amit decided to focus on helping others make informed decisions by creating PublicRecordsSearch.org.