About the Palm Beach County Clerk's Office
Mike Caruso is the Palm Beach County Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller. Governor Ron DeSantis appointed him effective August 19, 2025, and the Clerk's announcement says he was sworn in at 12:01 a.m. that day by Chief Judge Glenn Kelley. Caruso came to the office after seven years in the Florida House of Representatives. He leads nearly 650 employees serving more than 1.5 million residents, with an annual operating budget of about $76 million.
The office supports both the county government and the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit. It acts as Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Auditor, Clerk of the Circuit Court, County Recorder, and Clerk of the Board of County Commissioners. The contact card below carries the Main Courthouse address and the public phone line.
Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller
Clerk: Mike Caruso
205 North Dixie Highway
West Palm Beach, FL 33401
(561) 355-2996
ORWEB@mypalmbeachclerk.com
Mon–Fri, 8 a.m.–4 p.m.
What the Clerk Does in Palm Beach County
The Clerk maintains court records for civil, criminal, traffic, family, probate, guardianship, mental health, and juvenile matters in the Circuit and County Courts. It also keeps Official Records, the recorded instruments filed in the county recorder system. Beyond records, the office handles county finance, payments, and legal notices. The home page describes the office as a source for court records, marriage licenses, financial reports, real estate records, payments, traffic tickets, foreclosure and tax deed sales, forms, court dates, and passports.
- Keep and certify court case files through the eCaseView system.
- Record deeds, mortgages, liens, marriage licenses, and tax deeds in Official Records.
- Collect filing fees, fines, and court costs set by Florida law.
- Serve as County Recorder and Clerk of the Board of County Commissioners.
- Run county finance functions as Comptroller, Treasurer, and Auditor.
Q: Why does the Clerk have both court records and land records?
In Florida, the Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller is both the court clerk and the county recorder. That is why one office keeps eCaseView court files and Official Records like deeds, mortgages, and marriage licenses. The two are separate databases even though the same office holds both. Use eCaseView for cases and Official Records for recorded instruments.
How to Request a Certified Copy
A certified copy carries the Clerk's certification that it is a true and correct copy of the office record. Courts and agencies require certified copies as proof, since uncertified prints are not accepted in legal proceedings. The Clerk offers a three-level copy system: free uncertified online prints, electronic certified copies, and manually stamped copies from the Records Service Center.
- Find the case number or instrument number, or the party name and year.
- For court documents, order an electronic certified copy through eCertify, or request a stamped copy from the Records Service Center.
- Submit the request by email to ORWEB@mypalmbeachclerk.com, by mail, or in person at Room 4.2500.
- Pay the fee, then download the electronic copy or wait for the mailed copy.
Online certified copies cost $8 per document plus a 3.5 percent processing charge and arrive by email soon after purchase. Mail and in-office requests take longer, so allow adequate time.
Records Request Form Fields
The Clerk's records service transmittal gathers the items below so staff can locate the record and calculate the fee. A complete request moves faster than a vague one.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Requester name and contact | Yes | Name, mailing address, email or phone |
| Record type | Yes | Court record or official record |
| Case or instrument number | If known | Speeds the search |
| Party name | Yes if no number | Full legal name |
| Year or date range | Recommended | Narrows the search and the fee |
| Copy or certification choice | Yes | Plain, certified, or exemplified |
Palm Beach County Clerk Fees
Clerk fees are regulated by the Florida Legislature, and online card payments add a 3.5 percent processing charge. The published fee schedule covers copies, certification, searches, and certain services.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Copies up to 8.5 x 14, per page | $1.00 |
| Certifying copies, per instrument | $2.00 |
| Authenticated/exemplified certificate | $7.00 |
| Records search, per year per name | $2.00 |
| Electronic certified document | $8.00 plus 3.5% processing |
| Seal or expunge any record | $42.00 |
Records the Clerk Does Not Keep
The Clerk holds county court files and recorded documents, but several record systems sit with state and federal agencies. People often expect the Clerk to hold these and then have to look elsewhere. The state sex offender registry, the state and federal prison locators, and the victim notification service are all run outside the Clerk's office.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement runs the statewide sexual offender and predator registry.
The FDLE registry shown above is a state record, not a Clerk record, so registry questions go to FDLE rather than the county Clerk.
State prison custody is tracked by the Florida Department of Corrections, separate from county court files.
The Florida DOC offender search pictured here covers state prison data that the county Clerk does not maintain.
Federal custody is held by the Bureau of Prisons, again outside the Clerk's records.
The BOP locator shown above is a federal system, so federal inmate questions do not go to the county Clerk.
Custody status alerts run through VINELink, a notification service rather than a Clerk function.
VINELink, pictured here, sends custody status alerts and is not maintained by the Clerk of Court.
The Clerk's Finance and Comptroller Role
Beyond court records, the Palm Beach County Clerk is the county's financial watchdog. As Comptroller, Treasurer, and Auditor, the office manages county funds, audits spending, and reports on county finances. Clerk Caruso administered the oath of deputy clerk to more than 200 employees on his first day so they could act for the office on court and county transactions that need a Clerk signature. The finance role is why the office handles payments, registry funds, and financial reporting alongside case files.
The Clerk has also pushed public-awareness work. In December 2025 the office announced a Stop the Scams campaign with the State Attorney and PBSO. In March 2026 the Clerk warned that scammers were impersonating law enforcement and telling people with real traffic tickets to pay through Zelle to a Gmail account. The Clerk does not accept Zelle and does not use Gmail for public communication. Real payments go through official Clerk channels only.
Mail and Online Filings
The Clerk's eCaseView system is for viewing and searching cases, not for filing new documents. New filings go through the statewide Florida Courts E-Filing Portal at myflcourtaccess.com. For records requests, the Records Service Center accepts email at ORWEB@mypalmbeachclerk.com, mail to P.O. Box 4526, West Palm Beach, FL 33402-4526, or in-person visits at Room 4.2500 of the Main Courthouse. Self-represented filers can also use the Clerk's Self-Service Center on the first floor for forms and Navigator appointments.