Florida State Courts

The state of Florida’s judicial system consists of three federal district courts, an appeals court, a supreme court and a number of trials courts throughout the state. These courts all have their own place within the hierarchy and have different purposes and jurisdictions within the state of Florida.

Florida has three district courts. These are where most federal suits are originated. The three different courts, covering three different areas of Florida are:

• United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida
• United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida
• United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida

Circuit courts and county courts also form a large part of the trial court system in the state. The Florida Circuit Courts hear a lot of different cases from family issues to civil cases with not less than a $15,000 dollar value. This is also where probate issues are often dealt with due to the state not having a specific probate court.

The County Courts of Florida handle smaller claims, usually up to $500 in value but up to $15,000 of disputed value in civil cases. Florida has 67 counties and there is one such county court in each.

https://www.myflorida.com/

Court Name:	Florida Supreme Court
Address:	500 South Duval Street, Tallahassee, FL 32399
Phone:	(850) 410-8092
Website URL:	https://www.floridasupremecourt.org/

Intermediate and Supreme Courts

Florida has intermediate courts. The Florida District Courts of Appeal deal with a number of escalated cases that are first heard in either county court or the circuit courts of Florida. There are five districts managed by these appellate courts. If a case is originated in a smaller county court and isn’t suitable to be directly appealed to Florida’s Supreme Court then the appellate courts step in.

Each state has a court of “last resort”. In Florida this is the Supreme Court. Due to the Florida Constitution, this court has appellate jurisdiction over a variety of different issues such as habeas corpus, quo warranty, prohibition and the death penalty. If a case is on appeal from the state Courts of Appeal then the Supreme Court will also take jurisdiction over this. 

Types of Courts in Florida

How to Find Florida Court Records Online

You can use our online search tool to find a huge amount of Florida court records. Over 180 million public records from Florida are available to search and view. You can see all information that has been digitized and not been redacted or made confidential by another law. The protection to see these records comes from the Florida Public Records Act, which works in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act. 

Public records in Florida started in 1849, in some cases where these records have not been digitized then it may be the case that you need to contact the specific court in question to request records

Florida Counties