Florida Public Death Records

If you need to search the Florida public death records, there are many ways to do it. You can write or visit the Florida Department of Health, order it from vital records online, or become a member of one of the many fee-based public records sites.

A confidentiality law protects Florida public death records for 50 years. This means that only direct relatives such as the deceased spouse, parent, child, grandchild, sibling, or legal representative can access the record. Beyond this 50-year restriction, anyone can obtain a copy.

If you want to order a Florida death record by mail, send the following information:

About the Deceased

• Full name
• Gender
• Date of death
• City or County of death
• Social Security number

Your Information

• Name
• Relationship to deceased
• Address
• Phone number
• License number (if you are a funeral director or attorney)
• Signature
• Copy of valid picture ID

If you have access to a printer, you can print out the death records application to fill out with all of the above information.

The cost is five dollars and the vital records department accepts cash, check, money order, or credit card.

Mail the information or application to the following address:

Bureau of Vital Statistics

Attn: Client Services

P.O. Box 210

Jacksonville, FL 32231-0042

The Bureau of Vital Statistics is open Monday through Friday 8:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. eastern standard time. The public records department for walk-ins is located at:

1217 Pearl Street

Jacksonville, FL 32202

You can also request a Florida death record by phone. Have all of the above information and your credit card handy when you call. You can reach the Bureau of Vital Statistics at the following phone numbers:

• 1-904-359-6900 extension 9000 (Monday through Friday, 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. EST)
• 1-877-550-7330 (24 hour access)

Send a completed death certificate application and your credit card information to 1-877-550-7428 to order by fax.

You can order the death certificate from the health department using VitalChek. This website provides a secure and quick way to order using your credit card.

If you need a death record immediately, consider using a fee-based public records website. Many of these sites will require you to become a member and charge you a monthly or annual fee. However, once you register, you will be able to search the site's database of public records and print out the ones you need. Many of these websites allow you to search free prior to membership so you know that the site has what you need. Some of the fee-based public records websites available are:

• Death Record Obituary Search
• County Registry
• Public Record Finder
• Public Records

Beware: Some public records sites may be run by identity thieves looking to steal your personal information. Research all websites before you decide to become a member.

If you don't need the actual death certificate, consider using other ways to find information about the deceased.

The social security death index is a directory of deaths reported to social security. The deceased person you are searching for may be included in this index. To search it, visit the genealogy website, rootsweb.

An obituary can tell you a lot about the deceased such as date and cause of death, surviving relatives, and place of burial. You can easily search the Internet for free Florida obituaries:

• Obits Archive.com
• Ancester Hunt
• Obits Links Page
• Obituary Database

If you are unable to find the person searching online, you can also contact the newspaper in the town, city or county he or she resided to ask if they have an archived copy of it. If they are unable to help you, try visiting the local library because they may have newspapers on microfilm that you can search through to find the obituary.

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