Nassau County Public Records

Nassau County public records are held by the Clerk and Comptroller's office in Yulee and are open to any person under Florida law, which requires public agencies to provide access to their records upon request. This guide covers how to search court filings, official records, and government documents in Nassau County, along with access methods and what exemptions may apply.

Florida Public Records Law in Nassau County

Nassau County operates under Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes, which makes all public agency records open to inspection and copying by any person. You do not need to give your name. You don't have to explain why you want a document. The agency has to justify any denial by pointing to a specific exemption in the law, not the other way around.

This right also appears in Article I, Section 24 of the Florida Constitution, giving it extra weight. Every county office in Nassau, from the Clerk's court records to the Sheriff's incident reports to county commission meeting files, is subject to these rules. The 4th Judicial Circuit covers Nassau, Duval, and Clay counties, so some case records may involve clerks in more than one county.

Exemptions from disclosure are listed in Section 119.071. Common ones include records related to active criminal investigations, certain victim identifying information, and portions of some personnel files. If an agency claims an exemption, it must name the specific statutory provision. If you think the denial is wrong, the Florida AG's mediation program at (850) 245-0140 is the right first step. The AG's Open Government page explains the process.

Nassau County Clerk and Comptroller

Mitch L. Keiter serves as Clerk and Comptroller for Nassau County. His office is the primary custodian for 4th Judicial Circuit court records filed in Nassau and for official records such as deeds, mortgages, and liens recorded in the county. The Clerk's main office is in Yulee, and Fernandina Beach is the county seat.

The office is open weekdays during standard business hours. It handles civil, criminal, family law, probate, and traffic court records, along with official instruments recorded for property transactions in Nassau County. Staff can help you identify the right division when you call the main number.

Below is a screenshot from the Nassau County Clerk and Comptroller's official website, which is the main online portal for records access in the county.

The page above shows the Clerk's main site, where you can access court records, official records, and information about how to submit public records requests to the Nassau County Clerk's office.

Searching Nassau County Records Online

The Nassau County Clerk's website at nassauclerk.com provides online access to court records and official records. You can search by name, case number, or document type without creating an account for basic lookups. Civil, criminal, family, probate, and traffic cases are included, along with recorded instruments going back many years in the digital archive.

For older records that have not been digitized, a written request or an in-person visit to the Yulee office may be needed. The Clerk's staff can tell you how far back online records go for each document category. Official records such as deeds and mortgages are typically searchable over a longer date range than older court files.

The statewide portal at myfloridacounty.com also covers Nassau County official records. Property records are managed by the Nassau County Property Appraiser in a separate system, and tax records go through the Nassau County Tax Collector. Both have their own online portals.

Nassau County borders Duval County, which includes Jacksonville. Some 4th Judicial Circuit records for cases filed in Nassau may have connections to Duval court records. If you're researching a case that crossed county lines, it may be worth checking with both clerks' offices.

Fees for Public Records

Florida law sets the standard rates. Administrative copies cost $0.15 per single-sided page or $0.20 for double-sided. Certified copies of official records from the Clerk cost $1.00 per page plus a $5.00 certification statement fee. Court record certified copies run $1.00 per page.

Research time is not charged for the first 15 minutes. After that, the county can bill at the applicable employee's hourly rate. For large requests covering many years or a high volume of documents, it is wise to ask for a cost estimate before the work begins. You can then decide whether to narrow the scope of your request.

Many records in the Clerk's online portal are free to view and download. If a document is already scanned and publicly accessible, there is no fee to view it online. Charges apply when you request physical copies or certified documents from the office.

Nassau County Sheriff Records

The Nassau County Sheriff's Office maintains its own records apart from the Clerk's court system. These include arrest records, incident reports, jail booking logs, and offense reports. They are public records under Chapter 119 unless an active investigation or other specific exemption applies.

Requests go to the Sheriff's Office directly. You can submit in person, by phone, or by mail. Anonymous requests are accepted and no reason is required. Fees are $0.15 per single-sided page, $0.20 per double-sided page, with no charge for the first 15 minutes of staff research. Victims of certain offenses may receive copies at no cost.

Types of Records Available in Nassau County

Nassau County holds a range of public documents. Court records from the 4th Judicial Circuit include civil, criminal, family law, and probate cases filed in Nassau. Official records cover deeds, mortgages, liens, and other instruments recorded with the Clerk. Property and tax records are held by the Appraiser and Tax Collector in separate systems.

Other record types include county commission meeting minutes, building permits and inspections, planning and zoning files, and departmental records from various county agencies. Each office is the custodian for what it creates and receives. Knowing which agency holds what you need is the key to a fast response.

The Florida Court Clerks and Comptrollers directory lists every clerk in the state. For Nassau County, the Clerk's office in Yulee is the starting point for most court and official records requests. The Florida First Amendment Foundation can help if a request is improperly denied.

Making a Public Records Request

Requests can be made in any format. Call, email, write, or walk in. No specific form is required. Being specific helps. Give the date range, the names involved, and the record type you are looking for. That narrows the search and gets you a faster response.

For records held by county departments outside the Clerk's office, contact the relevant agency directly or ask to be pointed to the right custodian. Nassau County is smaller than many Florida counties, so responses to straightforward requests tend to be quicker.

If your request is denied or ignored, call the AG's mediation line at (850) 245-0140. Mediation is free and resolves most disputes without legal action. The AG's office can also help you understand whether a claimed exemption is valid.

Cities in Nassau County

Nassau County communities including Fernandina Beach and Yulee are served by the Clerk and Comptroller's office. No city in Nassau County meets the population threshold for a dedicated page on this site.

Nearby Counties

Nassau County borders two Florida counties, each with its own Clerk and public records system.