Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site between September 23, 2026 and October 9, 2026.
Lakeland, Florida, in Polk County, has about 125,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). The divorce record of a couple from Lakeland is a file of the Circuit Court's family division, kept by the court clerk, not a vital record. This guide says where the file is, how a certified copy of the decree is had and what the state issues.
This guide covers the court, copies, related records and common questions.
Related guides: Lakeland public records, Polk County divorce records, Lakeland arrest records, Lakeland warrants, Lakeland inmate search, Lakeland criminal records, Florida arrest records and Florida inmate search.
Where a Divorce from Lakeland Is Filed and Kept
A divorce in Florida is a court case, so the file and the final judgment of a divorce from Lakeland stay with the Circuit Court's family division. The court clerk keeps it, and the case index tells whether a divorce was filed and when.
For Polk County the court records page SearchSystems verified is at polkclerkfl.gov/297/Court-Records (page title: Court Records | Polk County Clerk, FL), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026. Most of a divorce file is open to the public; the papers the law keeps confidential and anything the court has sealed are not.
Florida has no single public index of every trial court case; each court's records are looked up through that court.
Copies of a Divorce Decree from Lakeland
The copy another court or an agency asks for is a certified copy of the judgment, issued by the court clerk.
The Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics also issues dissolution of marriage reports, which confirm a divorce granted since 1927 but are not copies of the judgment.
The Florida vital records page SearchSystems verified is at floridahealth.gov/certificates-records/birth-certificates.
The Clerk of Court, whose page SearchSystems verified is at polkclerkfl.gov/184/Official-Records, records deeds and liens, not divorces.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a copy of a divorce decree from Lakeland?
From the Circuit Court's family division, through the court clerk (polkclerkfl.gov/297/Court-Records). The Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics also issues dissolution of marriage reports, which confirm a divorce granted since 1927 but are not copies of the judgment.
Are divorce records public in Florida?
Mostly. The court file is open except for the papers the law makes confidential and anything the court seals.
Which court hears divorces from Lakeland?
The Circuit Court's family division. The file is kept by the court clerk.
Does Florida issue divorce certificates?
The Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics also issues dissolution of marriage reports, which confirm a divorce granted since 1927 but are not copies of the judgment.
Is this the official Lakeland website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official city, county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.