Seminole County, by the record
Property, the courts and county government all leave public records. Here is where each is kept, and what the Florida desk will read.
In brief
Why it matters: Most of what a county government does, and most of what happens to the land within it, is written down in records anyone can read.
The big picture: The property appraiser, the clerk of court and the county commission keep the core records, each in its own office.
What's next: The Florida desk will cite these records directly in its county coverage.
Seminole County sits north of Orlando, between Orange and Volusia counties, with Sanford as its county seat. Like every Florida county, it keeps the records of its land, its courts and its government in public offices, open to anyone under Florida’s public records law, with exemptions set by the Legislature.
Land and property
The Seminole County Property Appraiser keeps the record of every parcel: its owner, its legal description, its assessed and taxable value, the exemptions applied to it and its sales history. The appraiser sets the values each year; the county commission, the school board, the cities and the other taxing authorities set the tax rates applied to them.
Deeds, mortgages, liens and the other documents recorded against property are kept in the official records maintained by the Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller.
Courts and county government
The clerk also keeps the files of the county and circuit courts in Seminole County, from civil suits and foreclosures to criminal cases, with dockets that list every filing in a case. Some records, and some details within others, are confidential by law and are not part of the public file.
The Board of County Commissioners publishes the agenda for each meeting in advance, with the staff reports and documents for each item, and keeps minutes of its meetings. Zoning changes and amendments to the county’s comprehensive plan come before the board at public hearings, and the record of each hearing shows what was proposed and how each commissioner voted.
The Florida desk will cite these records when it reports on Seminole County, with a link to each one it uses.
Publisher and Editor
Chris Dorworth is the founder and publisher of Dorworth News Corporation and the editor of Dorworth News. He served in the Florida House of Representatives from 2007 to 2012, representing House District 34, and was Speaker-designate. He holds an MBA from Duke University and is a former managing partner of a Florida government-affairs firm. He is an author and the host of The Contrarian Raconteur podcast.
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