Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The arrest counts are the ones each agency reported to the FBI, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site between September 23, 2026 and October 9, 2026.
Sanibel, Florida, in Lee County, has about 6,400 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Its court cases are filed in the Lee County Circuit Court and the County Court, and the file of each case, kept by the Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller, is the public record of it. This guide says which court hears what, where to look a case up and who keeps the files.
This guide covers the courts, the records page, criminal cases, kinds of files and common questions.
Related guides: Sanibel public records, Lee County court records, Sanibel arrest records, Sanibel warrants, Sanibel inmate search, Sanibel criminal records, Florida arrest records and Florida inmate search.
The Courts That Hear Cases from Sanibel
In Sanibel, the Lee County Circuit Court hears felonies, civil cases over $50,000, divorces, probate and juvenile matters.
The County Court takes misdemeanors, traffic cases, small claims and civil cases up to $50,000.
Divorces go to the Circuit Court's family division, and the file stays with the court clerk.
The Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller keep the files, and a copy of anything in a file comes from that office, under the court's own rules rather than the Florida Public Records Act (Chapter 119).
Looking Up a Case from Sanibel
For Lee County, SearchSystems opened and checked the court records page for the county at matrix.leeclerk.org (page title: Lee County Clerk of Courts Records Inquiry), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
Florida has no single public index of every trial court case; each court's records are looked up through that court.
The Florida court page SearchSystems verified is at flcourts.gov.
What Reaches the Court from Sanibel
Together, the three agencies in Lee County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 15,416 arrests to the FBI that year; the State Attorney decides which of those arrests become cases in the Lee County Circuit Court or the County Court.
The State Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at sao20.org (page title: State Attorneys Office), phone (941) 637-2104, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on October 9, 2026.
The Kinds of Court Files
The court file is one record with several readers: a criminal case from the arrest to the sentence, a divorce from the petition to the judgment, a traffic ticket from the citation to the conviction the court reports to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, and an eviction or a lien on land.
The other Sanibel guides take the kinds of file one at a time: Sanibel criminal records, Sanibel divorce records, Sanibel traffic tickets, Sanibel DUI and Sanibel property records.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I look up a court case in Sanibel?
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at matrix.leeclerk.org.
Which court hears felonies in Sanibel?
The Lee County Circuit Court, which hears felonies, civil cases over $50,000, divorces, probate and juvenile matters. The County Court takes misdemeanors, traffic cases, small claims and civil cases up to $50,000.
Who keeps the court records in Sanibel?
The Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller. Copies come from that office under the court's own rules.
Is there a statewide court case search in Florida?
No. Each court's records are looked up through that court.
Is this the official Sanibel 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.