To: The Florida State House, The Florida State Senate, and Governor Ron DeSantis
Allow Ancient Court Records & Files Online
Allow Court Records and Files older than 72 years to be placed online by the Alachua County Clerk of the Court, or any other Florida County Clerk. These are public records and can be viewed at the Court House, why not online? They are part of our Archive, not active court files.
Why is this important?
These court files, Probate and Civil cases, date back to the 1830s in our county. We had some of them online until the Florida Supreme Court ordered that only "Official" Official Records could be placed online by a Clerk's Office. This is a valuable part of our history that sits in dark boxes awaiting the light that the internet provides. We should be allowed a 72 year period like the Federal Census or something similar. Anything older should be allowed online. Jim Powell Jr, Ancient Records Coordinator for Alachua County, FL, Clerk of the Court