Are Autopsy Reports Public Record in Florida? (2026)

Florida autopsy reports are public records. The written autopsy report is generally open to any member of the public under the state public records law, and the next of kin receives a copy at no charge. The key restriction: autopsy photographs, video, and audio are confidential and exempt, and a report can be withheld while a criminal case is an active investigation.

Are Autopsy Reports Public in Florida?

Yes. In Florida the written autopsy report is a public record. Under the state public records law in Chapter 119, the medical examiner's case file is open for inspection, and any person may request a copy of an autopsy report unless a specific exemption applies.

There are two important exceptions. First, autopsy photographs and video or audio recordings are confidential and exempt under Florida Statute 406.135. Those visual and audio materials are not released to the general public.

Second, a report connected to an active criminal investigation can be withheld under Section 119.071(2)(c) until the investigation is closed. Once that designation is lifted, the record becomes available.

A small number of written reports are also made confidential by statute, including certain suicide cases and domestic violence deaths involving a minor. Outside of those carve-outs, the general autopsy report itself remains a public record.

Who Performs Autopsies in Florida? (Medical Examiner vs Coroner)

Florida uses a medical examiner system, not a coroner system. The state is divided into 25 medical examiner districts, and a district medical examiner, who is a licensed physician, is appointed to each by the Governor from nominees submitted by the Medical Examiners Commission. The Medical Examiners Commission, housed within the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, oversees the system and sets standards.

An autopsy is not performed for every death. Under Florida Statute 406.11, the medical examiner has jurisdiction only when a death occurs under certain circumstances.

Those circumstances include death by criminal violence, by accident, by suicide, suddenly when in apparent good health, or while unattended by a practicing physician. They also include deaths in custody or a penal institution, deaths under suspicious or unusual circumstances, poisonings, and deaths from a disease that threatens public health.

When a case falls under that jurisdiction, the district medical examiner determines the cause and manner of death and performs or orders whatever autopsy and laboratory testing is necessary. The medical examiner does not need family permission to autopsy a body that is within this jurisdiction. Deaths that do not meet these criteria are typically handled by the attending physician, and no medical examiner autopsy is performed.

Who Can Request a Florida Autopsy Report?

Anyone can request the written autopsy report, because it is a public record. You do not need to be related to the deceased to ask for a copy of the report itself.

The next of kin holds a privileged position. Immediate family members, including a spouse, parents, children, siblings, grandparents, and grandchildren, are typically provided the autopsy report at no charge by the district office.

Access to the confidential materials is narrower. To view or copy autopsy photographs, video, or audio under Florida Statute 406.135, you generally must be the surviving spouse, or if there is none, a surviving parent, or an adult child. Government agencies may access those materials for official duties, and a court can grant access on a showing of good cause. A surviving spouse, or the parents if there is no spouse, must receive notice and an opportunity to be heard before a court releases such images.

For the difference between this report and the broader death record, see Are Autopsies Public Records?.

How to Get an Autopsy or Toxicology Report in Florida

You request an autopsy or toxicology report from the district medical examiner's office that handled the death, not from the state. The Medical Examiners Commission does not retain copies of autopsy reports, so requests go to the local district office serving the county where the death occurred.

Most district offices provide an autopsy report request form and accept requests by mail, email, or fax. The records custodian processes the request and confirms what materials may be released.

Fees are modest. Next of kin generally receive the autopsy report at no charge. Broader public records requests, or pages beyond the report itself, are charged about $0.15 per page under the public records law, and some offices add postage.

Timing depends on testing. A straightforward case may be ready within a couple of weeks, but toxicology, microscopic, or DNA testing can take weeks to several months, so a final report is often issued well after the death.

Expect a hold on cases tied to an open or active criminal investigation. While that investigation is active, the office may withhold the report under Section 119.071(2)(c). After the investigation closes, the record is released on request.

Autopsy Report vs Death Certificate in Florida

These are two different documents. The death certificate is the official vital record that registers the death and lists a cause-of-death line, and it is issued by the Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics with restricted access to the cause-of-death portion.

The autopsy report is the medical examiner's detailed forensic findings. It explains the examination, the toxicology results, and the reasoning behind the cause and manner of death, going far beyond the single line on the certificate.

You request them from different places. A death certificate comes from Florida Vital Statistics or the local county health department, while the autopsy report comes from the district medical examiner's office. For the certificate process, see the parent guide on Florida Death Records.

Florida Autopsy Report Quick Facts

Disclaimer: This page provides general legal information, not legal advice. Public records rules, fees, and release timelines vary by medical examiner district and can change. Verify the current process directly with the district medical examiner's office that handled the death.

Sources

This guide is based on Florida Statutes Chapter 406 (medical examiners), Section 406.135 (autopsy confidentiality), Section 406.11 (deaths investigated), the Florida public records law in Chapter 119, and official Florida medical examiner district and FDLE Medical Examiners Commission resources.

Back to Florida Death Records or the hub of Death Records by State.