How to Look Up Eviction Records in Florida 2026
Court portal, certified copy fees, and expungement laws for Florida
Where to Search Florida Eviction Records
Online portal: Florida Courts eFiling Portal / County Clerk Search
Certified copy fee: $1/page (certified: $2/page + $2 cert fee)
In Florida, an eviction record lives in the County Court for the county where the rental sits, and it is unusually reachable: the state runs a statewide online case-search through the Florida Courts eFiling Portal and the individual County Clerk Search sites. That means you rarely have to drive to a courthouse. Type a name or address, and a filing surfaces within minutes, complete with the case number, the parties, and the docket of what has happened so far.
The expungement picture is the mirror image of that openness. Florida has no statutory right to expunge or seal an eviction record, so once a case is filed it generally stays visible in the public index. For landlords screening applicants, that combination matters: records are easy to pull and they tend to stick. The sections below walk through how to find a Florida eviction record, how to read what you find, and what the absence of a sealing law means for both screeners and tenants.
How to look up a Florida eviction record
Start at the County Court level, because that is where Florida residential evictions are filed and decided. You have two reliable doors. The first is the Florida Courts eFiling Portal, which routes you to the docket for a filed case. The second, often faster for a name or address search, is the County Clerk Search site for the specific county, since each clerk maintains the official case index for that jurisdiction.
- Identify the county where the rental property is located.
- Open that county's clerk online case search, or use the eFiling Portal.
- Search by tenant name, case number, or property address.
- Open the case to view the docket, parties, and disposition.
Because access is statewide and online, most searches finish at your desk. If a county index is incomplete or you need an official copy, the clerk's office can pull the file in person.
How to read the result: a filing is not a judgment
The single most important habit when reading a Florida case is to separate the filing from the outcome. A filing is not a judgment. A landlord can open an eviction case that is later dismissed, settled, or decided for the tenant, and the docket will still show the case existed. What tells you how it actually ended is the disposition.
Scan the docket entries for the resolution: a judgment for possession, a voluntary dismissal, a settlement, or a case still pending. A dismissed or pending matter is not proof a tenant was removed. Note the filing date too, since an old, resolved case carries far less weight than a recent judgment. Reading the disposition rather than the headline keeps you from drawing a conclusion the record does not support.
Expungement and what it means for landlord screening
Florida offers no statutory eviction-record expungement or sealing right. There is no dedicated statute a tenant can invoke to wipe an eviction filing from the County Court index, so these records generally remain publicly visible after a case closes.
For landlords, that openness comes with a federal guardrail. Tenant-screening reports are consumer reports under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), which governs accuracy, permissible purpose, and the adverse-action notice you must send if a record factors into a denial. Pull the underlying court record rather than relying on a screening summary alone, confirm the disposition, and treat a bare filing differently from an actual judgment. Even where no sealing law exists, screening on stale or misread records invites disputes you can avoid by reading the docket carefully.
The tenant's side: limited options without a sealing law
For Florida tenants, the hard reality is that there is no general eviction-expungement statute to lean on. A filed case typically stays in the public County Court index, and you cannot simply request that the clerk remove it because the outcome was favorable.
What you can do is make sure the record is accurate and complete. If a case was dismissed, settled, or decided in your favor, confirm the disposition reflects that on the docket, and ask the clerk to correct any error in the case file. If a tenant-screening company reports the case inaccurately, the FCRA gives you the right to dispute it directly with that company. Keeping documentation of how a case ended is your best defense when an old filing resurfaces during a future rental application.
Step-by-Step: How to Search Florida Eviction Records
- Go to Florida Courts eFiling Portal / County Clerk Search. Open https://myflcourtaccess.com in your browser.
- Search by party name. Enter the prospective tenant's full legal name (last name, first name) as a defendant/respondent. Try name variations including maiden names.
- Filter by case type. Select eviction, forcible detainer, unlawful detainer, or summary possession as the case type depending on the court's terminology.
- Review the disposition. Identify whether the case resulted in a judgment for the landlord (eviction), dismissal (tenant won or case settled), or is still pending. A filing alone does not mean the tenant was evicted.
- Check the filing date. Consider how old the record is, most tenant-screening best practices recommend discounting records older than 5-7 years.
- Request certified copies if needed. For a certified copy of the court record, contact the County Court clerk's office directly. Fees are typically $1/page (certified: $2/page + $2 cert fee).
Reviewed by the Eviction Risk Map research team against Florida County Court clerk practice and the Florida Courts eFiling Portal, which together provide statewide online eviction case search; Florida provides no statutory eviction-record expungement right. Last reviewed June 2026. This is general information, not legal advice; consult a licensed Florida attorney or the relevant county clerk for guidance on a specific case.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I look up an eviction record in Florida?
Search the County Court for the county where the rental is located. Florida offers statewide online access through the Florida Courts eFiling Portal and each county's County Clerk Search site, so you can search by tenant name, case number, or property address and open the docket without visiting the courthouse.
Are Florida eviction records public?
Yes. Florida eviction cases are filed in County Court and indexed in the public record, and the state provides statewide online case search. With no eviction-record sealing statute, a filed case generally stays visible to anyone who searches the county clerk's index.
Can a tenant expunge an eviction record in Florida?
No. Florida has no statutory right to expunge or seal an eviction record, so a filed case generally remains in the public County Court index. A tenant's practical recourse is to confirm the docket disposition is accurate and to dispute any inaccurate report under the FCRA.
How much does a certified copy of a Florida eviction record cost?
Copies run $1 per page. A certified copy costs $2 per page plus a $2 certification fee, payable to the county clerk that holds the case file. Fees are set per the clerk's schedule, so confirm with the specific County Court clerk before requesting.
Related Florida Landlord Guides
Court portal information sourced from the Florida court administrative office official website. Expungement laws from published Florida statutes (see citations above). Last updated August 28, 2026. For informational purposes only, not legal advice.