Manatee County
Manatee County is a county located in western Florida. Its county seat is Bradenton. Manatee County was founded in January 1855 and named for Florida's official marine mammal -Manatee. The county covers a land area of 741 square miles and is home to about 400,000 residents.
Only two courts make up the county's trial court structure; one county court and one circuit court, both located in Bradenton, the largest city in the county.
The county court is also called "the people's court." It has jurisdiction over civil disputes such as traffic violations, misdemeanors, civil cases where the amount in dispute is up to $50,000 and small claims where the amount is up to $8,000.
The circuit court has general trial jurisdiction over cases not assigned by law to county courts. It also handles appeals from the county court, family law matters, felonies, juvenile delinquency, juvenile dependency, probate, mental health, guardianship, civil cases where the amount in controversy is greater than $50,000, and other matters beyond the jurisdiction of the county court.
The clerk of the circuit court supports the county's civil, criminal, and juvenile courts by processing, recording, and maintaining court records in the county. The clerk makes public court records accessible to the public via a search in its office and online.
To obtain a copy of public court records in the county, contact the clerk's office at:
1115 Manatee Avenue West
Bradenton, FL 34205
Phone: (941) 749-1800
As authorized by the Florida Supreme Court, the Manatee County clerk of circuit court provides the public with electronic access to court records, documents, indexes, and non-confidential document images via the online court records search resource. Users may access case information via the resource by searching court records by name, case number, citation number, and case or filing type.
