Public will have more access to civil court records after Florida Supreme Court ruling

Public access to most civil court records in Florida is expected to significantly improve thanks to an order this week from the state Supreme Court.

Advocates for freedom of information hailed the unanimous ruling as a victory, saying it removes a troublesome blockade where all filings were screened by court clerks’ offices for confidential material before anyone could get a look.

“It made me feel gratified and proud of the judicial system, because the justices value transparency and they took concrete steps to make sure Florida’s courts are open,” said Carol LoCicero,

an attorney for the South Florida Sun Sentinel and other state and national news outlets.

But an organization that represents court clerk offices in all 67 counties opposed the change — which takes effect July 1 — as endangering individual privacy.

The clerks warn that it’s too risky to depend on lawyers to take the initiative of flagging Social Security numbers and bank account information in their pleadings.

“The risk of identity theft by fraudsters is real, as is the personal and financial toll on victims,” wrote Fred W. Baggett. “Confidential information will be released, and the resulting harm to the public could be substantial.”

The Supreme Court announced in January that to ensure “timely access to court records,” it favored amending the 10-year-old rule that required court clerks to comb through every document.

That screening often delayed reporters and the public from accessing records without any confidential material.

“This Court has previously expressed its commitment to safeguard the public’s right of access to court records,” the justices wrote.

The change approved Thursday leaves in place the procedures to maintain confidentiality in cases concerning sexual abuse and medical malpractice.