A divorce is a legal process of dissolving a marriage and associated legal status and responsibilities. For a person to file for divorce, the marriage must be recognized under Florida family laws. And given the ramifications of a divorce decree, the couples must meet requirements and follow court procedure.
Following a divorce decree, the court terminates the marriage contract and effectively restores both parties to the status of unmarried persons in Florida. In these, court officials maintain records of the entire proceedings from filing to the final decree. These include petitions, motions, settlement agreements, and other documents created or introduced during a divorce. And according to Florida Sunshine Law, divorce records are public and available to interested persons unless a court order or statute sequesters the divorce record from public perusal.
Finding Divorce Records In Leon County
The Clerk of the Circuit Court that handled the divorce case is the designated custodian for divorce records in Leon County. Thus, to find a divorce record, the interested person must visit the office of the Clerk in person and during business hours at:
Leon County Courthouse
301 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, FL 32301
Phone: (850) 577-4000
Fax: (850) 606-5301
There, the individual must inform administrative staff of his/her requests for divorce records. Generally, the requester must provide the name of the divorcees, the date of the divorce decree, or the case number. Providing the name of the presiding judge may also help the court staff narrow down the search and retrieve the divorce records of interest faster.
Persons requesting divorce records by mail must prepare a typewritten letter requesting stating the name of the parties involved, the date of filing or issuance of the divorce decree, or the case number. Then, the requester must enclose the letter in a self-addressed stamped envelope and mail it to the address above.
A general rule of thumb is to contact the Clerk’s office to inquire about associated costs. Courts typically charge $1.00 per page for photocopies of the divorce record and $2.00 for certification. After contacting the Clerk’s office, you may enclose a payment method, i.e., check or money order for the quoted amount, and then mail the letter. If there are additional expenses, the Clerk’s office shall contact you via the phone number or mailing address provided on the envelope.
Alternatively, interested persons may find divorce records in Leon County by searching the online database that the Clerk maintains. The searcher will need to know the names of the divorcees to perform a search on the database.