Disclaimers

Legal Notice / Limitations Regarding Services

Based upon a number of statutes, rules, and/or administrative court orders, the Clerk & Comptroller is directed to facilitate access to court and government services. In striving to discharge these legal obligations of the office and balance them against the many restrictions contained in the law, the Clerk & Comptroller’s Office provides the following additional legal notices, limitations regarding available services, and disclaimers by topic. This list of topics is not exhaustive, and additional limitations may apply even though not stated below. 

Court and Statutory Forms

Information and forms accessible on this website are not an attempt by the Clerk & Comptroller to practice law or give legal advice contrary to section 454.18, Florida Statutes. Rather, such information is intended to provide notice of procedures followed by the Clerk & Comptroller's Office at the direction of the Court or as required by law. All court forms are derived either from the Supreme Court-promulgated forms or Sixth Judicial Circuit Court-approved forms. Forms are subject to change without notice by the Court.

Document (Form) Assistance

Based upon several provisions of Florida Law, the Clerk of the Circuit Court is required to provide reasonable, ministerial assistance to self-represented litigants in (e.g., injunctions for protection, small claims, and guardianship). Such assistance, however, does not include preparing or completing substantive responses to forms or providing legal advice.

Legal Resource Centers

The Clerk & Comptroller’s Office hosts and maintains  Legal Resource Centers for use by the public. Services available and facility locations are be found at https://fl-pascocountyclerks.civicplus.com/330/Legal-Resource-Center

Access to Online Records

The Clerk & Comptroller’s website is intended for personal use of the public for informational purposes only. The User is prohibited from reproducing, publishing on-line, selling, reselling, or otherwise disseminating data or information accessed pursuant to this disclaimer agreement, except as permitted by law. Unauthorized attempts to change information on this service are strictly prohibited and may be punishable under all applicable laws. Records provided on the Clerk & Comptroller’s website is provided in accordance with statutes, court orders, and rules of court.

Online access to Official Record

Official Records are document recorded in the land records of Pasco County. While the Clerk & Comptroller seeks to be diligent in her efforts to preserve the accuracy of the on-line version of these records, the online records are not the official record and should not be relied upon for any type of legal action. Only records that are maintained within the Clerk & Comptroller’s Office shall be considered as official records.

On or after October 1, 2002, any person preparing or filing a document for recordation in the official records may not include a social security number or a bank account, debit, charge, or credit card number in such document unless required by law.

Any person has a right to request the Clerk & Comptroller's Office to remove (redact) confidential information as provided by law, such as a social security number, from an image available on its Official Record site . Such request must be made in writing and delivered by mail, facsimile,  electronic transmission, or  in person, to the addresses listed on the website.. A request may also be submitted electronically on the Clerk & Comptroller website. Such redaction request must identify the type of confidential Information and the page number that contains it. The Clerk & Comptroller's Office does not charge a fee for redaction.

The images archived in the Pasco County Official Record are digital reproductions of the original documents presented to the Clerk & Comptroller for recording. Except as specifically directed by law (e.g., redaction of information directed by statute), the Clerk & Comptroller's Office does not alter the content of the original documents during the recording process. Unclear or illegible content in the archived image is likely to be the result of unclear or illegible content in the original document.

The Clerk & Comptroller’s Office is authorized to redact confidential information and uses a combination of computer programs and human review to accomplish this important task. The Clerk & Comptroller's Office uses best efforts with both manual and electronic means, to keep such information confidential and exempt without any person having to request redaction. Please keep in mind that the Clerk & Comptroller is authorized to redact only statutorily designated confidential information.

Online access to Court Records

The current ruleset governing access to court records has been in development for over a decade. Starting with a moratorium in 2004 under AOSC04-04, the Florida Supreme Court (Court) placed restrictions on viewing court document images on the Internet. By 2007, the Court allowed attorneys to view non-confidential records via a subscription service under AOSC07-49.

In 2007, with an eye to a future of increased demand to view court records online, the Court amended Rule 2.420 that identified specific information as confidential, required the Clerk of Circuit Court (Clerk & Comptroller) to keep such information confidential, and required filers to notify the Clerk & Comptroller, at the time of filing, if the filing contained confidential information.

Sensitive (but not confidential) information was addressed in 2011 by Rule 2.425. This rule required the filer to minimize the inclusion of sensitive information in court documents.

These efforts culminated in the issuance of a new set of standards by the Court under AOSC14-19. In issuing this administrative order, Chief Justice Polston said that the standards ". . . provide a carefully structured mechanism to facilitate appropriate, differentiated levels of access to court records to members of the general public and user groups with specialized credentials, and judges and courts and clerks' office staff, based on governing statutes and court rules."  These standards were tested in a pilot county under the supervision of the Court from 2007-2011 and approved for general use in 2014. The electronic court documents available through this site conform to the Florida Supreme Court Standards. Judges and Clerks may not extend privileges beyond those permitted in the standards. However, the Chief Judge in local circuits may issue additional restrictive administrate orders further limiting access to, or the remote viewing of court records. Other local factors may also be taken into consideration by the Clerk & Comptroller, which may result in a decision to further restrict remote viewing of records over the internet. However, any additional remote internet viewing limitations do not affect access to the court records. Access is still available as prescribed by Florida Statute and Court Rule via public records requests directed to the Clerk's Office.

The Court and the Clerk & Comptroller recognize that there needs to be a balance between individual privacy and the need to have court records readily available for viewing. Should you find a document that requires redaction, please see the Redaction of Confidential Information section of this page. For information that is sensitive, but not confidential, please see the section on Sensitive Information.

Communications with the Clerk & Comptroller’s Office

Florida has a very broad Public Records Law. Virtually all written communications to or from the Clerk's Office are public records available to the public and media upon request, unless the contents fall within a specific exemption by law.

Indemnification

By using the online services provided by the Clerk & Comptroller, the User agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Clerk & Comptroller’s Office and anyone involved in storing, retrieving, or displaying this information for any damage of any type that may be caused by accessing this information via the Internet.