Criminal Cases in Monroe County Courts
Monroe County splits criminal work by both case level and geography. The Sixteenth Judicial Circuit hears felony prosecutions. Monroe County Court handles misdemeanors, criminal traffic, county and municipal ordinances, and related lower-level cases. The Clerk of Circuit Court and Comptroller is the records custodian for both courts. That means the Clerk docket, not an arrest log or prosecutor file, is the best place to learn which charges were actually filed and how each count ended.
Three Clerk counters serve the long chain of islands. Key West handles Lower Keys records, the Marathon branch serves the Middle Keys, and Plantation Key serves the Upper Keys. Case suffixes help show the division: K and AK point to Key West, M and AM to Marathon, and P and AP to Plantation Key. Court assignments can change, so use the docket and current Clerk contact rather than assuming a named judge still holds a type of case.
Monroe Court Location Codes
The final letters in a Monroe County case number can point to the court division. K and AK identify Key West, M and AM identify Marathon, and P and AP identify Plantation Key. That code helps a reader call the right Clerk counter, especially when an old address, a common name, or a missing image makes the online result hard to confirm.
Geography is part of the file because Monroe County stretches along more than 100 miles of the Keys. It does not change the legal meaning of the disposition. Confirm the court, case type, sequence, and location as one set before requesting a copy.
Monroe Criminal Name Search Rules
The Monroe Clerk Criminal Search Criteria page has firm input rules. A name query needs both first and last name. A date query needs both a start and end date. Broad results stop at the first 500 matches, so a middle name, case type, location, or tighter date range can make a common-name search more useful. Selecting every case type may pull in ordinance and infraction records that have little to do with the criminal file sought.
A case number is often the cleanest key. Monroe uses the pattern YYAA123456b(b): year, case-type letters, a six-digit sequence entered without leading zeroes, and a one- or two-character location code. Copy the full number from a notice or prior docket. Small format changes can return no result even when the case exists.
How to Search Case Records
Anonymous Monroe County docket access is free. Most docket data reaches back to about 1990, while document images for most case types begin around 2007. Those dates are different. A search result may therefore show a case timeline without giving remote access to the underlying filing. Use this sequence to keep the query focused and preserve the identifiers needed for a copy request.
- Open the criminal search and select the case type that fits the filed matter, such as felony, misdemeanor, criminal traffic, or municipal ordinance.
- Enter both first and last name, or use the full Monroe County case or citation number.
- Pair both date fields for a date query. Narrow any search that approaches the 500-result limit.
- Open the docket, confirm the court and location suffix, then read every count's status and disposition.
- For an unavailable image, older file, or certified copy, email criminalrecord@monroe-clerk.com, call 305-295-3950, or use a Clerk counter.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case Type | Multi-select | Conditional | Includes felony, misdemeanor, criminal traffic, ordinance, notice-to-appear, and infraction options. |
| First and Last Name | Text | Yes for name search | Both must be entered; middle name can narrow results. |
| Case Number | Text | No | Use Monroe's year, type, sequence, and location format without sequence leading zeroes. |
| Citation Number | Text | No | Use the exact citation identifier. |
| Date From and Date To | Date | Yes for date search | The two fields must be used together. |
Three Monroe Criminal Record Counters
The islands make a single courthouse counter impractical. The Key West Clerk is at 500 Whitehead Street, with Circuit Criminal at 305-295-3963 and County Criminal at 305-292-3545. The Marathon Branch is at 3117 Overseas Highway, 305-289-6027. Upper Keys service uses the Plantation Key branch mailing and search address at 88770 Overseas Highway, Suite 2, Tavernier, 305-852-7145. Public hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
A Monroe-only record letter costs $2 for each year searched, paid in advance. Copies are $1 per page, and certification is $2 per document. Ask the branch which address belongs on the current request form because the Upper Keys building and suite addresses differ across official materials.
Monroe Clerk Criminal Records
500 Whitehead Street
Key West, FL 33040
305-295-3950
Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
What the Case File Shows
A Monroe County case file is a prosecution record. It can show the charging document, the court's event log, motions and orders, pleas, bonds, hearings, judgment, sentence, supervision terms, and a financial ledger. Each count must be read on its own. One count may be dismissed while another ends in adjudication, and a filed felony label does not establish a felony conviction.
| Case Number & Court | Identifies year, case type, sequence, Monroe division, and whether Circuit or County Court holds the matter. |
|---|---|
| Charging Document | Shows the information, indictment, complaint, or other filed basis for prosecution. |
| Docket Entries | Dates filings, motions, orders, pleas, warrants, and other case events. |
| Hearing Dates | Lists scheduled and completed appearances when public. |
| Disposition & Judgment | Records the outcome of each count, including dismissal, acquittal, adjudication, or withheld adjudication. |
| Sentence & Conditions | May show custody, probation, restitution, fines, costs, and other court terms. |
Read Monroe Case Dispositions
The outcome line matters more than the first charge label. Florida terms can be brief, and they do not all mean the same thing. A nolle prosequi records the prosecutor's choice not to proceed. A dismissal ends the charge without a conviction. An acquittal follows a not-guilty verdict. Adjudication withheld means the court withheld formal adjudication after a plea or finding; it is not the same as dismissal.
- Disposition
- The final outcome of a count or case.
- Information
- A charging document filed by the State Attorney.
- Capias
- A court command to take a person into custody.
- Docket
- The dated list of filings and court events.
Note: Compare each count, its filed statute, and its final disposition before drawing a conclusion from a Monroe County docket.
Stages of a Monroe County Criminal Case
A jail allegation does not automatically become a filed charge. After arrest or a notice to appear, a first appearance may address release. The State Attorney can file an information, alter the counts, decline a charge, or use a grand-jury indictment where applicable. Arraignment addresses the plea. Discovery and pretrial motions follow, then a negotiated plea or trial. Judgment, sentence, appeal, and supervision events complete the public trail.
Case flow: Charges Filed › Arraignment › Pretrial › Plea or Trial › Disposition › Sentencing
The stages do not run on one fixed Monroe County timetable. Continuances, discovery, motion practice, trial calendars, and case complexity all affect the pace. Read the dated docket rather than estimating an outcome from the filing date.
Missing Monroe Court Document Images
An online docket can exist without a viewable image. Monroe's portal reports broad docket coverage from about 1990, but most document-image coverage begins around 2007. Florida's electronic court record access standards also distinguish records that may be viewed remotely from those available only through controlled access.
Write down the case number, document title, and docket date. Then ask the Clerk for inspection or a copy. The public counter can also help with older files and certified records. The Sixteenth Circuit Public Defender's office contacts illustrate Monroe's three-division geography, but that office is not the custodian for the court file.
The official Florida Courts source above shows why a blank image link is an access condition, not proof that no filing was made.
The captured standards page reinforces that remote access and courthouse access can differ for the same Monroe County case file.
Access & Restrictions
Florida starts with a strong right of access under its constitution and Chapter 119, but judicial records follow Florida Rule of General Practice and Judicial Administration 2.420. Monroe's anonymous portal excludes sealed and expunged cases, juvenile matters, mental-health and guardianship searches for the general public, automatically confidential categories, and records made confidential by court order. Protected victim data and personal identifiers may be redacted.
Absence from a public search does not establish that no case exists. Ask the Clerk whether the query, date range, location, or access level explains the result. Authorized parties may have routes that anonymous users do not. The Sixteenth Circuit State Attorney public-record route applies to prosecutor-held material, but that office correctly sends court-file requests back to the Clerk.
The State Attorney source makes the custody line clear: prosecution records and Clerk court records are related, but they are not interchangeable.
The Public Defender contact directory also documents offices in Key West, Marathon, and Tavernier.
Those three defense offices mirror the Clerk branches and show how Monroe County serves court users across the Keys.