Death Records Now

As with other states, marriage records in Florida are considered as public records. Along with birth, death, and divorce, they form the vital records under the Department of Health of Florida. Being public records, Florida marriage records are accessible by anyone as long as procedures are followed. From checking out a prospective spouse or partner to family tree and genealogy studies, they are one of the most widely searched public records not only in Florida but also nationwide.

In line with the standard structure across the country, Florida marriage records come under the jurisdiction of the state of Florida. Those dated June 6, 1927 and after are uploaded and maintained at the state repository in the Office of Vital Statistics located at Jacksonville which reports into the Florida Department of Health. Florida marriage records prior to that date are only obtainable from the Clerk of Court of that particular county where the marriage license was issued, with some known to be from as early as 1822.

There are an estimated 5 million marriage records on file at the Office of Vital Statistics of Florida. They can be requested through phone, fax, by mail or in person. Fees are required and they can be enquired at the respective agencies or viewed at their websites online. Every search is charged even if the requested record is not found in which case an official ‘not found’ statement will be provided. It must be noted that it does not strictly mean that no such marriage records exist when that happens. They may possibly be present but are classified as confidential marriage records or other categories that render them non-public. However, this is more of an exception rather than the rule.

Individual state records are not linked and that applies to Florida marriage records. Florida marriage records of former Florida residents will not show up in a marriage record search in another state and vice-versa. For people who have resided in multiple states, marriage record searches would have to be conducted for each of those states in order to cover their marital history fully but breezing through it online is a far, far cry from what people used to have to go through during the pre-internet era.

With the advent of the internet, online search has by far become the predominant mode of researching marriage records over the traditional on-site option. The foremost reasons for its popularity are:
1.    Privacy and discretion – you can research people in secret.
2.    Convenience – it can be conducted anywhere since only a PC with internet access is required.
3.    Vast options – wide range of information sources readily found online.
4.    Immediacy – instant and 24/7.

There are basically two versions of online marriage record searches: free-of-charge and fee-based. The former is usually offered in the form of teaser information or as enticement toward an underlying patronage or subscription. Their overall standards will fulfill nothing more than broad research. The latter is the one that’s necessary for official and other serious purposes and even so, finding the right commercial record provider can be tricky. Fortunately, online shopping is no-sweat so source around a little before signing up.

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All birth and death records originating from the five boroughs of New York City (Bronx, Kings, Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island) must be certified together with a Letter of Exemplification by the New York City Department of Health, http://www.ci.nyc.ny.us/html/doh/home.html Bureau of Vital Records, 125 Worth Street, New York, NY 10013. The original document must then be presented to the County Clerk’s Office in the county where the document was obtained to verify the signature on the Letter of Exemplification. The document can then be presented to the New York State Department of State for authentication.

I’m sure you can hire an atty or title company to do it; and often times it can be done by mail; but call the clerk’s office you’ll be filing at to make sure of the details (SASE< attention of who, time frames, fees if any)

and if they are how do I access them ,I am in florida and the death was in dec of 2007 does this help

The death certificate would come from the Florida Department of Health. Here is a website that will give you step by step instructions as to how to procede. You may need to send proof of your relationship and don’t forget to send the appropriate amount of money

http://www.doh.state.fl.us/planning_eval/vital_statistics/deaths.htm

You WILL NOT find death certificates online. Death records are restricted in most states and the revenue generated from ordering them are a cash cow for most places.

As far as the will goes… Not everyone leaves a will. Sadly, most to not. However, after a persons death a will needs to be probated. If this person died in December, it may not have even gone through probate yet if they left one. You might want to check with the probate court in the appropriate county to see if it has been filed.

Florida does have procedures for distibution if the person did die without a will. They are as follows.

Florida law sets forth rules for the distribution of an estate if there is no will.

If these is a surviving spouse and no lineal descendants, the surviving spouse is entitled to the entire estate.

If there is a surviving spouse with lineal descendants, and all lineal descendants are also descendants of the surviving spouse, the surviving spouse is entitled to the first $20,000 of the probate estate, plus one-half of the remainder of the probate estate. The descendants share in equal portions the remainder of the estate.

If there is a surviving spouse with lineal descendants, and not all lineal descendants are also descendants of the surviving spouse, the surviving spouse is entitled to one-half of the probate estate, and the descendants of the deceased share the other half of the estate in equal shares.

If there is no surviving spouse and there are descendants, each child is entitled to an equal share, with the children of a deceased child sharing the share of their deceased parent.

If there is no surviving spouse and no children or other descendants, Florida law provides additional rules for distributing an estate in such circumstances.

Source http://florida-probate-lawyers.com/

The Florida Department of Health

http://www.doh.state.fl.us/planning_eval/vital_statistics/