Where to Find Polk County, Florida Public Records
Polk County, Florida public records are highly searched for in the central part of the state. With over 500,000 people living there, there’s ample opportunity for public records to be generated.
Lakeland, the largest city in the county, is home to the area’s largest shopping mall, as well as a thriving retail district that runs the gamut from popular chain stores to small, locally owned specialty shops. People come from all over the county to visit Lakeland, and it’s a popular hub for people all over the central Florida area who are looking for a quieter place to shop and eat than the bustling nearby Orlando.
The types of documents you’ll find among the Polk County, Florida public records are the same as you’d find anywhere else in the state. Vital records, wills, land transactions, probate, civil and criminal dockets and more all abound within the walls of the county court house in Bartow. Like anywhere else in Florida, these records are all open to just about anyone who requests them, due to the state’s Government in the Sunshine law. All you have to do to get any record (with the exception of birth and juvenile records) is to go to the court house and ask.
Polk County, Florida public records are also available online at the clerk of the court’s website. In many cases, you’ll find the entire document available for you to view. Other instances, such as criminal cases and divorce records, will only show an index, and you’ll have to go into the court in person to see the whole document. Just knowing it’s there, though, by seeing its index, is enough to save you an trip to Bartow, so be sure to check online before making a long drive, just in case the record in question isn’t there.
