How to Search Brevard County Court Records
The main tool for a Brevard County court records search is BECA, the Brevard Electronic Court Application. BECA is run by the Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller and replaced the old eFACTS system on January 9, 2018. It is the only official online court records portal for Brevard. The disclaimer page lives at vmatrix1.brevardclerk.us/beca/beca_splash.cfm, and the launch page is reached through the Clerk site at brevardclerk.us/case-search. BECA cites Florida Supreme Court Administrative Order AOSC14-19, Rule 2.420 and Rule 2.525 of the Florida Rules of Judicial Administration, Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes, and F.S. 28.2221(5)(a) as its legal basis.
Before you start, have the party's full name or a case number ready. Spelling matters. The portal does not let users data-mine or run bulk scrapers, and the Clerk posted a notice in 2024 and 2025 that automated traffic has slowed BECA in the past, so single targeted searches work best. The disclaimer block sets the entry point that every user has to clear.
- Open the Clerk's case search page at brevardclerk.us/case-search.
- Click "BECA - General Public Court Records Search" for free public access, or pick the subscriber route if you are an attorney, party of record, or registered agency user.
- Read the disclaimer on the BECA splash page. Choose the "Accept" radio button to move on, then press Submit.
- On the next screen, pick "General Public Court Records Search" or "Subscriber Court Records Search." The public route is open to anyone.
- Enter the case number, party name, or other field you have. Run the search and open the case from the result list.
- For a certified copy or for sealed material, route the request through the Clerk's Research and Copy Request Center instead of relying on the online view.
The BECA splash and disclaimer screens look like the official Clerk capture below.
The page makes clear that BECA results are informational only and not certified, and it points users to the Clerk if a question about a specific case comes up.
The BECA Search Field Table
The BECA splash screen acts as a gateway. It is not a free-text search box on first load. The fields below are what a user clicks through before reaching the actual case search inside the portal. They come straight from the Clerk's database inspection of BECA and tell you what each control does.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes / Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accept | Radio | Yes to proceed | Default checked. You must accept the BECA disclaimer to move on. |
| Do Not Accept | Radio | Optional | Declines the disclaimer and blocks entry. |
| Submit | Button | Yes | Posts the disclaimer choice to the server. |
| General Public Court Records Search | Button | Yes for public route | Free public access path. No login required. |
| Subscriber Court Records Search | Button | Yes for registered route | Needs a subscriber login. Roles include attorneys, parties, agencies, and law enforcement. |
| Registered User Agreement | PDF link | Conditional | Required to sign up for subscriber access. Scan/email to BecaSupport@brevardclerk.us or mail to BECA Support, P.O. Box 999, Titusville, FL 32781-0999. |
| Agency and Gatekeeper Registered User Agreement | PDF link | Conditional | Used for agency or gatekeeper sign-ups. |
| Gatekeeper Management Request Form | PDF link | Conditional | Form to manage subscriber accounts under an agency gatekeeper. |
| Case Validation | Link | Optional | Separate tool to confirm a case number is real. |
The subscriber route opens up more case data than the general route because Florida's electronic-access rules under Rule 2.420 split users by role. Court parties and their lawyers see filings the general public cannot reach online. Most people will use the general public route and accept that some images stay off-screen.
Types of Brevard County Court Records
The Clerk holds case files for every division of the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit that sits in Brevard, plus county court files. Each type has its own case number format and its own access rules. Most are public. Some are not. A short list helps frame what is searchable through BECA and what lives in the official records index instead.
- Civil records include county civil, small claims, foreclosure, eviction, garnishment, liens, and circuit civil. Files typically have a complaint, summons, answer, motions, orders, and a final judgment.
- Criminal records cover felonies, misdemeanors, and criminal traffic. Filings include charging documents, pleas, orders, judgments, sentences, and probation papers. See Brevard County criminal records for the full breakdown.
- Family and domestic relations records include divorce, paternity, child support, time-sharing, and injunctions. Many family-law images are blocked from remote view under Rule 2.420.
- Probate records hold wills, estate cases, guardianships, and trust filings. See Brevard County probate records for fees and case types.
- Traffic records include civil traffic, criminal traffic, and parking infractions. The Clerk's payment center handles fines. See Brevard County traffic court records.
- Juvenile records are restricted under F.S. 985.04 and rarely show on the public side of BECA.
- Official records are recorded instruments such as deeds, mortgages, liens, plats, judgments, and military discharges. Index data dates back to January 1, 1981 in the Clerk's Official Records search.
BECA is the right tool when the question is about a case, a docket, or a court event. The official records search is the right tool when the question is about something that was recorded, like a lien or a deed.
What a Brevard County Court Record Shows
Each Brevard County court records file is built around a case number and a docket. Open a record in BECA and the page lists the parties, the court division, every entry made by the Clerk, every hearing on the books, and the money side of the case. Some images appear inline. Others are blocked or redacted. The table below lays out the fields you can expect to see on a typical case.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Case Number | The unique court ID, with circuit code, year, case type code, sequence, and division suffix. |
| Filing Date | The date the case was first opened by the Clerk. |
| Parties | Plaintiff and defendant, or petitioner and respondent, with attorneys of record where known. |
| Court / Division | Circuit civil, county civil, criminal felony, misdemeanor, probate, family, juvenile, or traffic. |
| Docket Entries | Every filing in date order, from motions and orders to notices, judgments, and clerk events. |
| Hearings | Hearing date, time, judge, courtroom or division, and the type of hearing on calendar. |
| Financial | Filing fees, fines, court costs, bond, restitution, payment plans, and any partial-payment fees. |
| Documents / Images | Public images may open inline. Restricted images need a subscriber role or an in-person request. |
| Redactions | Social Security numbers, bank data, death certificates, and protected family/juvenile/probate items are blocked under F.S. 119.071 and 119.0714 and Rule 2.420. |
If you need a sealed image or a certified copy, the screen view will not do. The Clerk routes those to the Research and Copy Request Center under fee rules set by Florida law.
Sample Brevard County Case Numbers
A Brevard County court records search runs faster with a clean case number. The Clerk publishes case numbers on high-profile dockets in a long, hyphenated format. Two real examples taken from official Clerk pages show how the parts line up.
The first sample is 05-2019-CA-058736-XXXX-XX. Here, "05" is the county code for Brevard, "2019" is the year the case was opened, "CA" is the case type for circuit civil, "058736" is the sequence number, and the last two segments are division and check digits set by the Clerk. The second sample is 05-2019-CF-028034-BXXX-XX. The "CF" code marks it as a circuit felony, and the "B" in the division segment points to a specific division of the criminal court.
Other case type codes you will see include CC for county civil, MM for county misdemeanor, CT for criminal traffic, TR for civil traffic, DR for domestic relations, CP for probate, GA for guardianship, and JU for juvenile. If the search returns nothing, check the code first. A felony filed in 2019 will not match a search filter set to county civil.
Public Access Laws for Brevard County Court Records
Florida has one of the broadest public records laws in the country. The state's policy in Chapter 119 says all state, county, and city records are open to the public unless a statute or court rule blocks the file. Court records sit under that law and under the Florida Rules of Judicial Administration. The frame of rules below is what BECA and the Clerk cite when they grant or deny access.
Statute and rule references:
- F.S. 119.01 sets Florida's general policy that public records are open for inspection unless an exemption applies.
- F.S. 119.07 covers how records are inspected and copied, and the fees a custodian can charge.
- F.S. 119.0714 is the court-files statute that lists what must be removed from court records, like Social Security numbers and bank account data.
- Florida Rule 2.420 sets the rules of access for judicial branch records, including which case types stay off the remote view.
- F.S. 28.2221 is the electronic-access statute and is the basis for the Clerk's Official Records View subscription that opens up restricted images in DR, CP, GA, and CJ case categories.
Note: Florida lets a requester stay anonymous and does not force a written request, but the Clerk may need a contact point to deliver records or quote fees.
The Rule 2.420 PDF on the state courts site lays out the full text used by every Florida clerk and controls every redaction decision in BECA.
The rule controls what BECA can show online and what the Clerk has to redact before any image goes live.
Restricted and Confidential Court Records
Not every Brevard court file shows up in a public search. Some case types are blocked by statute. Others are sealed by a judge. The list of restricted categories is short but real, and it matters for anyone running a Brevard County court records search who is not finding what they expect.
Juvenile delinquency and dependency records are confidential under F.S. 985.04. Most do not appear in the general public view of BECA. Sealed criminal records and expunged criminal records are not public at all. The seal and expunge process runs through FDLE under F.S. 943.0585 and F.S. 943.059, and the public side of the file goes dark when the order is signed. Domestic relations files in the DR category, probate files in the CP category, guardianship files in the GA category, and juvenile restitution files in the CJ category have restricted images that need the Clerk's Official Records View subscription under F.S. 28.2221(5)(a).
Personal data such as Social Security numbers, bank and card numbers, and certain victim information is redacted from any public image. Death certificates and military discharges are also held back. If a file you expect to see is missing, the case may be sealed, juvenile, newly filed, mis-keyed, or stored in a system the Clerk does not run. A direct call to the Clerk often clears up which bucket the case lives in.
Certified Copies and the Research and Copy Request Center
BECA is for viewing. Certified copies and staff-assisted searches go through the Clerk's public records request channel. Rachel M. Sadoff, Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller, runs the office. Requests can come in by web portal, email, phone, mail, or at any branch counter in the county.
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Copy from public records (per page) | $1.00 |
| Certification of a document | $2.00 |
| Partial payment fee (F.S. 28.24) | $5.00 per month |
| Extensive clerical or I.T. service | Cost estimate before work starts |
| Official Records View subscription | $50 per calendar year |
The fastest route is the Clerk's NextRequest public records portal. Email requests go to PublicRecordsRequests@brevardclerk.us, and phone requests can be made at (321) 637-2004. Mail can be sent to Brevard County Clerk of the Circuit Court c/o Public Records Requests, P.O. Box 999, Titusville, FL 32781-0999. For email searches of Clerk staff, the request should include a date range, the email accounts, and search keywords so the staff can scope the work. The full Clerk public records request page lists every method and rule.
Older or Missing Brevard County Court Records
BECA covers active and recent cases well. Older cases can be patchy. The Clerk's official records index reaches back to January 1, 1981, with images from that date forward where the statute allows them. Anything before 1981 may need a hand search at the Titusville Historic Courthouse or a written records request to the Clerk.
Spelling matters more in older files. Try multiple forms of a name. Try with and without middle initials. Try the maiden name and the married name. If the docket entry list shows a filing that does not open, the image may be blocked by Rule 2.420 rather than missing. A short note to the Clerk through NextRequest will usually confirm whether the file exists, whether it is sealed, and whether a certified copy can be pulled.
Prosecution Files and the State Attorney
Court files at the Clerk capture what is filed in court. They do not show what the prosecutor's office decided behind the scenes before charging. For that side of a case, the Office of the State Attorney for the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit is the right office. The state attorney serves both Brevard and Seminole counties and posts contact details and divisional information online.
The official site at sa18.org lists the State Attorney, the divisions of the office, and the press releases tied to ongoing cases. It is a useful cross-check when a BECA record shows a charge but does not show why a charge was filed or dropped.
The State Attorney's office often holds the police reports and discovery that sit behind the charging document on the Clerk's docket, and it has its own public records process under Chapter 119.
Federal Court Records for Brevard
Federal cases tied to Brevard residents do not appear in BECA. Brevard sits in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, and federal civil, criminal, and bankruptcy filings live in the federal CM/ECF system, not the Clerk's. The District Court site at flmd.uscourts.gov lists the divisional offices, judges, and local rules.
Public access to federal docket text and most filings runs through PACER, the federal records system. PACER is not free. Most pages cost a small per-page fee, though many users fall under the quarterly fee waiver. Appeals from the Middle District go to the Eleventh Circuit. Bankruptcy cases for Brevard residents land in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Florida.
Where Brevard Court Records Are Kept
Most case records and walk-in records services route through the Harry T. and Harriette V. Moore Justice Center at 2825 Judge Fran Jamieson Way in Viera. The map below pulls from the official Google Maps location the Clerk and circuit pages link to.
The Clerk also keeps full-service counters at the Titusville Courthouse, the Parkway Complex, the Melbourne Branch Courthouse, the Merritt Island Office, and the Palm Bay Office, so a walk-in request does not always need a drive to Viera.