Phone: 941-263-6045
Fax: 941-263-6047
Email: spdpublicrecords@sarasotafl.gov

Custodian of Records:
Daniel C. Engram, Records Supervisor
Phone: 941-263-6802

The Records Unit is open to the public Monday through Friday, 8:00am – 5:00pm.

The Records Unit is responsible for maintaining and distributing offense reports, supplemental reports, accident reports (vehicular and marine), arrest reports, and miscellaneous incident reports in accordance with Florida State Statute (FSS) 119. This division handles approximately 80,000 police reports per year that occur within Sarasota city limits. The records unit also handles the processing of citations, subpoenas, and requests from the State Attorney’s Office.

Reports may be requested either by mail, email or in person. Public Record Requests can also be made using our online portal (see below). Requests by mail must include any required fees if applicable, along with a self-addressed stamped envelope. Prior to mailing your request, call Records to confirm the report has been received and obtain a cost for the report. Please be sure to include as much information as possible when making your request such as the case number, date, location of incident and type of incident. There is NO COST for records or reports under $5.00.

To make a public records request online, please click the link to our online portal below:

• JustFOIA Request Portal

Please note that in accordance with F.S.S. 119.07(4)(d), an applicable service charge may be assessed for certain requests. 

Accident Reports
Traffic crash reports and the information contained therein is confidential for the first 60 days after the crash, and can only be obtained by certain parties, per F.S.S. 316.066(2). NOTE: as of March 1st, 2023, the Florida State Legislature, through Senate Bill 1614, has also made certain crash report information confidential and exempt beyond 60 days, except to certain parties. The State requires that anyone requesting a traffic crash report must complete an affidavit specifying why you are entitled to that report. You may use the link provided to print an Adobe PDF copy of the affidavit.

• Crash Report Affidavit

Accident reports can be requested and obtained in person at the records window for a cost of $5.00.

To request an accident report online, please visit https://buycrash.lexisnexisrisk.com/. The fee is $13.00 for online crash reports.

Background Checks
Immigration and Background checks can only be conducted for the jurisdiction handled by the Sarasota Police Department.  The cost for local background checks is $5.00.

Sarasota County background checks may be obtained from the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office Records Unit located at 2071 Ringling Blvd. 

State of Florida statewide background checks can be obtained from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE). http://www.fdle.state.fl.us/

Nationwide background checks can be obtained from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). http://www.Fbi.gov/