Manatee County Public Records Lookup

Manatee County public records are held by the Clerk of Circuit Court in Bradenton and are open to any person under Florida law. With roughly 430,000 residents and steady growth in recent years, Manatee County maintains a large volume of court filings, property records, and official documents. This guide walks through where records are held, how to search online, and what to do when you need copies.

Public Records Law in Manatee County

Florida's Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes is the legal basis for public records access in Manatee County and all other Florida counties. Section 119.01 sets the default rule: all state, county, and local government records are open to inspection by any person. Agencies can only withhold records by citing a specific statutory exemption. The burden of proof falls on the agency, not on you.

The right to inspect public records is also in the Florida Constitution under Article I, Section 24. That constitutional grounding means it is a fundamental right, not one that agencies can limit through internal policies. You don't need to give your name. You don't need to state a reason. You don't need to use a specific form. Those requirements, if imposed, would violate the law.

Section 119.07 requires custodians to allow inspection at any reasonable time during business hours. Partial exemptions don't justify a full denial; the agency must redact only what is exempt and produce the rest. If you believe a denial is improper, the Florida Attorney General's Office provides free mediation at (850) 245-0140. More information is available on the AG's Open Government page.

Common exemptions appear in Section 119.071 of the statute and include active criminal investigation records, certain law enforcement personnel files, and medical information. If a record is withheld, ask for the specific exemption citation in writing.

Manatee County Clerk of Circuit Court

The Manatee County Clerk of Circuit Court in Bradenton is the primary custodian of court records, official records, and county financial documents. The office processes every civil, criminal, family law, and probate filing made in the 12th Judicial Circuit for Manatee County and records instruments affecting real property in the county as they arrive.

The 12th Judicial Circuit covers Manatee, Sarasota, and DeSoto counties. Each county maintains its own Clerk. Manatee County's office in Bradenton is the largest in the circuit and handles the highest filing volume. The Clerk's website offers robust online search access, and the courthouse is open to the public during regular business hours for in-person requests.

The screenshot below is from the Manatee County Clerk's official website, which provides direct access to court records, official records, and public records request options.

The site shown above is the official source for Manatee County court records, official records, and public records request information.

Searching Manatee County Records Online

The Manatee County Clerk's website at manateeclerk.com provides free online access to court case records and official records. Court records can be searched by party name, case number, or filing date for civil, criminal, family, and probate matters. No account is required to run a basic search. Official records, including deeds, mortgages, judgment liens, and construction liens, are also searchable by name and recording date.

Manatee County participates in myfloridacounty.com, the statewide official records system. That portal lets you search across multiple Florida county clerk databases at once, which is useful when a transaction or document involves property or parties in more than one county. The Manatee-Sarasota metro area sees frequent cross-county real estate transactions, making that statewide tool particularly practical here.

Manatee County's records database covers most document types back to the late 1980s in digital form. For older instruments or case files, contact the Clerk's office directly. Staff can confirm availability and explain how to request copies of historical records.

The Florida Court Clerks and Comptrollers directory provides links to all 67 Florida county clerk offices. That is a good resource when you need to check records in a neighboring county or confirm contact information for the 12th Circuit's other county clerks in Sarasota and DeSoto.

Fees for Manatee County Public Records

Florida law sets the fee structure that applies in Manatee County. Administrative records from county departments cost $0.15 per single-sided page or $0.20 for double-sided copies. Court records and official records from the Clerk cost $1.00 per page. Certified copies of official records include a $5.00 certification statement fee on top of the per-page cost.

Research fees can apply when a request requires significant staff time to locate, compile, or redact documents. The first 30 minutes of staff research time are not charged. After that, the county may bill at the hourly rate of the lowest-paid employee who can do the work. For any request that seems like it might be large or time-consuming, ask for a written cost estimate before agreeing to proceed. The agency is required to provide one if you ask.

Online searches on the Clerk's portal are generally free. Printing, downloading certified copies, or requesting physical documents triggers the standard fee schedule. Check the fee information on the Clerk's website before pulling a large set of documents.

Types of Records Held in Manatee County

The Clerk of Circuit Court in Manatee County handles a broad range of document types. Court records cover all civil, criminal, family law, and probate cases filed in the 12th Judicial Circuit for Manatee County. Official records include all instruments recorded against real property: deeds, mortgages, satisfaction of mortgages, judgment liens, lis pendens notices, and construction liens. These are indexed by name and recording date as they arrive at the office.

The Clerk also maintains county commission meeting minutes and agendas, county budget and financial records, marriage license applications, tax deed proceedings, and jury management records. Each of these is public under Chapter 119 unless a specific exemption under Section 119.071 applies.

Records held by other Manatee County offices are separate from those of the Clerk. Key examples:

• Manatee County Sheriff's Office: arrest records, booking data, offense reports, and jail records
• Manatee County Property Appraiser: parcel maps, ownership history, and assessed values
• Manatee County Tax Collector: property tax payment records and vehicle registration data
• Manatee County School Board: public educational records held by the school district

Each of these offices is its own custodian and handles requests independently. For state-level criminal background records, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement maintains a public access system at fdle.state.fl.us. FDLE records and local county records are separate and may each contain information not reflected in the other.

Other Public Records Resources in Manatee County

The Manatee County Sheriff's Office is a major source of public records separate from the Clerk. Sheriff records include arrest logs, booking information, offense reports, civil process records, and jail records. These are generally public under Chapter 119 unless an active investigation or other statutory exemption applies. Contact the Sheriff's Office directly for these records.

The Manatee County Property Appraiser has an online database with property ownership, assessment data, and parcel maps. That information is freely searchable at no cost and is a common starting point for real estate research in the county. The Tax Collector's site shows property tax payment status and delinquency information.

For broader Florida records searches, the statewide clerks directory and myfloridacounty.com both provide access to official records from multiple counties. Those tools are useful when you need to see whether a lien, judgment, or recorded instrument appears in more than one county across the Tampa Bay region.

Cities in Manatee County

Manatee County has several incorporated communities. Bradenton is the county seat and has a dedicated page on this site.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Manatee County and each has its own public records office and online search system.