(1) The Legislature finds that a proper and legitimate state purpose is served by providing the public with access to public records and information on the Internet. The Legislature further finds that a proper and legitimate state purpose is also served by preventing disclosure of records and information made exempt by law from public disclosure.

(2) No later than January 1, 2002, the county recorder in each county shall provide a current index of documents recorded in the official records of the county for the period beginning no later than January 1, 1990, on a publicly available Internet website which shall also contain a document requisition point for obtaining images or copies of the documents reflected in the index and which has the capability of electronically providing the index data to a central statewide search site. The index shall be limited to grantor and grantee names, party names, date, book and page number, comments, and type of record.

(3) Each county recorder shall use appropriate Internet security measures to ensure that no person has the ability to alter or to modify records placed on the Internet by the county recorder.

(4) Unless otherwise provided by law, no information retrieved electronically pursuant to this section shall be admissible in court as an authenticated document.

(5)(a) No county recorder or clerk of the court may place an image or copy of a public record, including an official record, on a publicly available Internet website for general public display if that image or copy is of a military discharge; death certificate; or a court file, record, or paper relating to matters or cases governed by the Florida Rules of Family Law, the Florida Rules of Juvenile Procedure, or the Florida Probate Rules.

(b) Any records specified in this subsection made available by the county recorder or clerk of the court on a publicly available Internet website for general public display prior to June 5, 2002, must be removed if the affected party identifies the record and requests that it be removed. Such request must be in writing and delivered by mail, facsimile, or electronic transmission, or in person to the county recorder or clerk of the court. The request must specify the identification page number of the document to be removed. No fee may be charged for the removal of a document pursuant to such request.

(c) No later than 30 days after June 5, 2002, notice of the right of any affected party to request removal of records pursuant to this subsection shall be conspicuously and clearly displayed by the county recorder or clerk of the court on the publicly available Internet website on which images or copies of the county’s public records are placed and in the office of each county recorder or clerk of the court. In addition, no later than 30 days after June 5, 2002, the county recorder or the clerk of the court must have published, on two separate dates, a notice of such right in a newspaper of general circulation in the county where the county recorder’s office is located as provided for in chapter 50. Such notice must contain appropriate instructions for making the removal request in person, by mail, by facsimile, or by electronic transmission. The notice shall state, in substantially similar form, that any person has a right to request that a county recorder or clerk of the court remove an image or copy of a public record, including an official record, from a publicly available Internet website if that image or copy is of a military discharge; death certificate; or a court file, record, or paper relating to matters or cases governed by the Florida Rules of Family Law, the Florida Rules of Juvenile Procedure, or the Florida Probate Rules. Such request must be made in writing and delivered by mail, facsimile, or electronic transmission, or in person to the county recorder or clerk of the court. The request must identify the document identification page number of the document to be removed. No fee will be charged for the removal of a document pursuant to such request.

(d) Any affected person may petition the circuit court for an order directing compliance with this subsection.

(e) By January 1, 2006, each county recorder or clerk of the court shall provide for electronic retrieval, at a minimum, of images of documents referenced as the index required to be maintained on the county’s official records website by this section.

History.—s. 2, ch. 2000-164; ss. 2, 4, ch. 2002-302.