Polk County
Polk County was officially established in 1861 after Florida seceded from the Union and named in honor of former US President James K. Polk. Polk County's population is estimated to be 818,330 (as of July 1, 2023), and it has about 1,798 square miles of land area, making it Florida's fourth-largest county by total area.
Polk County's trial court system comprises a Circuit Court and a County Court, each with different areas of jurisdiction. The Circuit Court has Civil, Criminal (Felony), Family, Juvenile, and Probate Divisions that handle civil matters involving $30,000 or more, felony cases, family law matters, juvenile delinquency cases, and guardianship and probate proceedings, respectively. On the other hand, the County Court handles criminal misdemeanors, traffic cases, civil cases involving less than $30,000, small claims that are not more than $8,000, and county/municipal ordinance violations. Polk County also has Problem-Solving Courts that offer eligible non-violent defendants court-supervised, comprehensive treatment programs as an alternative to conventional incarceration.
Polk County public court records contain information originating from court proceedings and associated activities within the county. The Polk County Clerk of the Circuit Court stores and maintains these records, which include case dockets, subpoenas, court orders, depositions, juror interviews, trial transcripts, judgments, verdicts, and civil settlement agreements. The Clerk of the Circuit Court is also charged with making these records accessible to interested members of the public as required.
To this end, the Clerk of the Circuit Court provides an online portal that you can use to search civil cases, criminal cases, and traffic tickets, view dockets, and print uncertified copies of Polk County court records at no cost. The clerk also provides a separate Public Information and Electronic Requests platform that you can use to request certified copies of these records for a fee. If you are unable to locate the desired records online, you can submit a record request via email or visit any of the clerk's office locations.
