Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/161733
Sarasota News Leader August 30, 2013 Page 67 ALERT ISSUED ABOUT SALES OF CERTIFIED COPIES OF PROPERTY DEEDS County residents are being alerted to watch for letters from companies offering to provide them a copy of a certified property deed for a higher than normal fee, the Sarasota County Clerk of Court's Office has announced. Such letters say the firms can provide a certified copy for $83, including postage and handling, a news release notes. Karen Rushing, clerk of the 12th Judicial Circuit Court and county comptroller, is reminding people that those documents are public records and may be obtained directly from her office "for a much more nominal fee," the release adds. The cost of a certified copy of a property deed through the clerk's Public Access Department is $1 per page, plus a $2 charge for document certification and mailing, if applicable, the release continues. Most deeds are only a few pages long, the release says; accordingly, requests start at $3 for a certified copy and are processed within 72 hours, or sooner. A person may obtain a certified copy of a deed by visiting the clerk's main office in Sarasota (2000 Main St., Room 103, Sarasota) or at the Venice Branch Office (Robert L. Anderson Administration Center, 4000 S. Tamiami Trail, Venice). Both offices have staff available to assist the public from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, the release notes. A person may also order a certified copy of a deed by calling 861-7425 and making payment by credit card. Alternatively, a free, non-certified copy may be obtained by conducting an online records search at www.SarasotaClerk. com. Go to Online Records, click on Public Records Search then on Official Records. The public may obtain certified copies of property deeds at the main office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court in the historic courthouse on Main Street in Sarasota. Photo by Norman Schimmel