Our Mission

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The mission of the Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court is to function as a team dedicated to our customers by preparing and maintaining accurate records, furnishing assistance in an understanding and compassionate manner, and providing services with competence, professionalism, and courtesy in compliance with laws, rules, and regulations.

Welcome....

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to the Polk County Clerk of Court's web site.  Polk County's Clerk of Courts has three major responsibilities: Clerk of the Circuit and County Courts; County Recorder; and Clerk, Accountant and Auditor to the Board of County Commissioners. The Clerk of the Circuit Court is the ex-officio Clerk of the Board of County Commissioners, auditor, recorder and custodian of all County funds. The Clerk is the chief financial officer for the County and serves as the County comptroller and treasurer. As Clerk to the Board, the office maintains all records pertaining to official County activities. This includes minutes of the County Commission Board meetings, copies of ordinances and all other official County documents. As Accountant and Auditor to the Board, the Clerk is charged with keeping records and making required reports of all monies received and disbursed by the Board. The Clerk is also responsible for investing surplus county funds.  We hope you take the time to learn more about us.

Polk County Courthouse Going Paperless

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POLK COUNTY (Bay News 9) -- Polk County's Clerk of the Circuit Court is taking the courthouse paperless.

Many of the office's staffers have spent their days scanning files into computers. It's a slow process, considering that files are stacked in boxes and on shelves throughout the nine-floor Polk County Courthouse. Other files are stashed at several other storage spaces around town.

Polk County Clerk of Court Richard Weiss said that, in less than a year, all of those files will be accessible with the click of the mouse, a move he says will save the office time and money.

"Just file folders, we spend between $70,000 and $100,000 just for file folders," he said. "Then when you take into the labor to manage those files, to put them together, and bring them to court and bring them back and inventory them, we estimate we could save a minimum of $1 million a year."

Weiss said that, eventually, the new system will allow lawyers to file court documents without stepping foot in the courthouse. Law enforcement officers may even be able to send in traffic tickets from the road.

The clerk's office has already converted its civil division documents to electronic files. This week, it started working on the files for the felony division.

Weiss said another big benefit of going paperless that the files will be less vulnerable in the event of a hurricane or other disaster.

For instance, several years ago, the Polk County Courthouse had a serious mold problem, which meant each court document had to be cleaned with Listerine.

Read the full article here.  Watch the story on Bay News 9.

Volunteering at the Clerk's Office

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The Clerk's Office is looking for professional, high-spirited volunteers at least 16 years old to help staff with customer service, answering phones, filing, mail distribution, greeting, and other basic office duties.

Read more about it here, and apply online here.

 

Criminal Records Online Now Available

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Richard M. Weiss, Clerk of the Circuit Court, is pleased to announce a new public service available via the Internet.

"For the first time in Polk County, criminal case information will be available to the public on the Clerk's website.  Employers and the general public will be able to perform criminal records checks for Polk County cases", Weiss said.  He added, "Attorneys will have access to case information, saving them a phone call or trip to the courthouse."

Felony, County and Municipal Ordinance violations, Criminal Traffic, Non-Criminal Infraction, Misdemeanor and Traffic Infraction cases will be available at www.polkcountyclerk.net 24 hours after it is entered into the system.  Weiss states, "Comprehensive case information such as court proceedings, progress docket, disposition dates, case status and payment information is just a mouse click away.  We expect that the number of phone calls to our office seeking case information will decline, which is an important additional benefit to our operation."

Access Criminal Records Online by clicking here or from the menu on the left.

The project was a joint effort between the Clerk's office and the Florida Association of County Clerks. 

 We're interested in what you think.  Please give us feedback by emailing the Clerk's Help Desk.

NOTICE
PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE POSTED NOTICES REGARDING ONLINE RECORDS AND TO REQUEST REMOVAL OF SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBERS, DEATH CERTIFICATES, MILITARY RECORDS, AS WELL AS OTHER RECORDS AS PROVIDED IN SECTION 28.222, FLORIDA STATUTES.

NOTICE
Under Florida law, e-mail addresses are public records. If you do not want your e-mail address released in response to a public-records request, do not send electronic mail to this entity. Instead, contact this office by phone or in writing...

"Under Florida law, e-mail addresses are public records. If you do not want your e-mail address released in response to a public-records request, do not send electronic mail to this entity. Instead, contact this office by phone or in writing."