I work for the Florida Office of Vital Statistics, and thought I would share a few things that may be of interest to readers.
In Florida certified copies of birth records come from the State Office of Vital Statistics, 1217 Pearl Street, Jacksonville, FL 32202 - or P.O. Box 210, Jacksonville, FL 32231. Records are also available from most County Health Departments (there are 67 counties) all but a very few are on-line with the State Office in Jacksonville. You can pull the application for ordering a regular birth record (via mail) from Vital Statistics website which can be accessed via: http://www.doh.state.fl.us/planning_eval/vital_statistics/index.html. There is also a link on this site that can give you the address and contact info to the County Health Departments where you may be able to pick-up a certified Vital Record.
Birth records can also be ordered through a third party (if you wish to use a credit card-and pay a slightly higher fee) called Vital Chek.
Typically Clerks of Court will only archive marriage and divorce records, although those are available through the State Office of Vital Statistics as well. The only birth records usually available through the Clerk are Delayed Certificates of Birth filed pursuant to Florida Statute 382.0195; however, those records are not public and should only be available to certain parties (a registrant over 18 yoa, mother or father listed on birth record, or their legal representatives). Any Florida birth filed via this method should also be archived at the State Office of Vital Statistics. Though not the preferred method, the statute does allow for filing delayed births for registrant's from other states (who reside in Florida), but in such a case the court becomes the sole archiver of the record.
Another little known record filed by the State Office of Vital Statistics in Florida are Certificates of Foreign Birth for alien children (not born to US citizen's traveling abroad) who were adopted in the State of Florida (See Florida Statute 382.017.)
A birth record for a child that was born to US citizens traveling abroad are typically filed through a consulate report and is archived at the State Department (Passport Services) in Washington, DC.
Apostilled or exemplified copies of birth, death, divorce or marriage records (used by countries involved in Hague convention) are issued by the SOS, and can be ordered through the State Office of Vital Statistics in Florida. A separate check is written to both parties (VS and SOS) to cover the fees for these special type copies.
Florida requires that an eligible applicant present a copy of a valid form of ID: Drive Licnese, State Issued ID card, Military ID, or Passport. In lieu of a "copy" of the ID in question, the application for birth certificate would need to be notarized. It is OK to notarize an application for request for birth record. |
