Lithia, Florida Public Records

Lithia, Hillsborough County is served by several law enforcement agencies, including the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office and municipal police departments such as the Tampa Police Department, Plant City Police Department, and Temple Terrace Police Department. Each department has jurisdiction over its respective city or area, and they often coordinate on major crimes and public safety initiatives to ensure comprehensive coverage across the county.

The Hillsborough County Jail, officially known as the Falkenburg Road Jail, is the primary detention facility in the county. The booking process involves fingerprinting, photographing, and recording personal information of the arrested individuals. Inmate lookup is available through the Sheriff's Office website, allowing residents to find information about inmates. Visitation rules are specific to the facility, with scheduled times and guidelines that must be adhered to. The bond and bail process follows Florida state law, allowing for the release of inmates under certain conditions.

Lithia residents are served by the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida in and for Hillsborough County, which handles all felony criminal cases, civil cases exceeding $30,000, family law matters including divorce and custody, probate, guardianship, and juvenile proceedings. The courthouse is located at 800 East Twiggs Street, Tampa, FL 33602, phone (813) 272-6869, website https://www.fljud13.org/. County Court, also part of the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit, handles misdemeanor criminal cases, civil disputes up to $30,000, evictions, and small claims cases (under $8,000); County Court is located at the same courthouse address. The Hillsborough County Clerk of the Circuit Court and County Court, located at 800 East Twiggs Street, Tampa, FL 33602, phone (813) 276-8100, website https://www.hillsclerk.com/, maintains all court records and provides public access. Court records can be searched online through the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal at https://www.myflcourtaccess.com/ and the Clerk's online records search at https://www.hillsclerk.com/public-records/search-our-records. Certified copies of court documents cost $2.00 for the first page and $0.15 for each additional page as of 2024, with an additional $2.00 certification fee. Small claims filing fees range from approximately $55 to $300 depending on the claim amount, while civil case filing fees start at $400 for cases over $30,000. Traffic citations and county ordinance violations are also handled through the County Court system, with information available through the Clerk's office.

The criminal records ecosystem in Hillsborough County includes records of felonies, misdemeanors, traffic violations, and the sex offender registry. These records are maintained by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Residents can run a background check through the Florida Bureau of Investigation, which provides comprehensive criminal history information. The process is facilitated by Florida's public records laws, ensuring accessibility to these records for various purposes.

Arrest records in Hillsborough County are maintained by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. Residents and attorneys can request these records through the Sheriff's Office, either online or in person. An arrest record typically includes the individual's personal information, details of the arrest, charges filed, and the arresting officer's name. Florida's public records law, known as the Sunshine Law, ensures transparency and access to these records for the public.

Property and land records for Lithia are maintained by Hillsborough County agencies. The Hillsborough County Property Appraiser's Office, located at 601 East Kennedy Boulevard, 17th Floor, Tampa, FL 33602, phone (813) 272-6100, website https://www.hcpafl.org/, assesses all real property in the county for taxation purposes. The Property Appraiser's website offers a free, comprehensive online property search tool at https://www.hcpafl.org/Property-Search where users can search by property address, owner name, parcel ID, or subdivision name. The database displays property characteristics, assessed values, tax exemptions, sales history, aerial photographs, and property tax estimates. The Hillsborough County Clerk of the Circuit Court serves as the official Recorder of Deeds and maintains all recorded land documents including warranty deeds, quit claim deeds, mortgages, satisfactions of mortgage, liens, lis pendens, easements, and restrictive covenants. The Recording Department is located at 800 East Twiggs Street, Tampa, FL 33602, phone (813) 276-8100, website https://www.hillsclerk.com/recording. Official records dating back to the 1840s can be searched online at no charge through https://www.hillsclerk.com/public-records/search-our-records, with the Official Records Search allowing users to search by name, document type, book and page, or recording date. Digital images of most documents from 1978 forward are available free online; earlier records may require in-person research or staff retrieval. The County also maintains a Property Records GIS portal at https://www.hillsclerk.com/gis providing interactive maps with parcel boundaries, ownership, zoning, and recorded document links. Recording fees vary by document type and number of pages, typically starting at $10 for the first page and $8.50 for each additional page.

Lithia's economy is characterized by its semi-rural, agricultural nature, with horse breeding, equestrian services, small farms, and rural residential properties dominating the landscape. Unlike the urbanized western portions of Hillsborough County, Lithia has maintained its rural character with significant agricultural exemptions on property taxes for working farms and ranches. Major employers in the immediate Lithia area are limited due to its residential and agricultural nature, but residents commonly commute to nearby Brandon, Riverview, and Tampa for employment. The broader southeastern Hillsborough County area includes distribution centers, retail operations along State Road 60 and Big Bend Road, and service industries. The Hillsborough County School District operates several schools serving Lithia families, including Lithia Springs Elementary School (17625 Dorman Road, Lithia, FL 33547). The median household income in Lithia is estimated at approximately $75,000 to $85,000, higher than the Hillsborough County median, reflecting the area's larger lot sizes and rural estate properties. Recent economic development has focused on managing growth pressures as suburban sprawl from Tampa Bay reaches eastward; the county has implemented rural land protection policies to preserve Lithia's agricultural heritage. The area benefits economically from recreational tourism related to the Alafia River State Park and Edward Medard Conservation Park, attracting visitors for kayaking, fishing, camping, and mountain biking. Lithia's strategic location along the Alafia River and its preserved natural spaces make it attractive to residents seeking rural lifestyles within commuting distance of Tampa's employment centers, healthcare facilities like Brandon Regional Hospital, and the economic opportunities of the greater Tampa Bay metropolitan area, which has a diverse economy including finance, healthcare, technology, defense, tourism, and international trade through the Port of Tampa.

Lithia is served by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office (HCSO), as the community is unincorporated and does not operate its own municipal police department. The HCSO headquarters is located at 2008 East 8th Avenue, Tampa, FL 33605, with a main phone number of (813) 247-8200 and website at https://www.hcso.tampa.fl.us/. The Sheriff's Office operates the District IV Brandon District Office at 605 W. Lumsden Road, Brandon, FL 33511, phone (813) 247-0310, which serves the southeastern Hillsborough County area including Lithia. Residents can request police reports and incident records by visiting HCSO offices in person, calling the Records Section at (813) 247-8200, or submitting written requests; basic incident reports typically cost $2.00 for the first page. Arrest records and jail bookings are searchable through the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office Inmate Information Search at https://core.hcso.tampa.fl.us/InmateInfo, which displays current inmates' names, booking photos, charges, bond amounts, booking dates, and inmate identification numbers. Historical arrest records can be obtained through public records requests. Florida's public records law is governed by Chapter 119, Florida Statutes, which provides that all state, county, and municipal records are open for inspection unless specifically exempted by law. Requests must be responded to promptly, and agencies may charge reasonable copy fees. For criminal history background checks, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) maintains statewide records accessible at https://www.fdle.state.fl.us/, though arrest records are also available through county sheriff's offices.

Birth and death certificates for Lithia residents are issued by the Florida Department of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, located at 1217 Pearl Street, Jacksonville, FL 32202, phone (904) 359-6900, website http://www.floridahealth.gov/certificates. Birth certificates cost $9.00 for the first copy and $4.00 for each additional copy ordered at the same time; death certificates are $5.00 for the first copy and $4.00 for additional copies. Certified copies can be ordered online through the Florida Department of Health's VitalChek partner at https://www.vitalchek.com (with additional processing fees), by mail, or in person. Birth records are confidential for 100 years in Florida and available only to the person named, immediate family members, or legal representatives with proper identification. Death records are public after becoming part of the official record. Walk-in service is also available at the Hillsborough County Health Department Vital Statistics Office, 1105 East Kennedy Boulevard, Tampa, FL 33602. Marriage licenses are issued by the Hillsborough County Clerk of the Circuit Court, Marriage License Department, 800 East Twiggs Street, Tampa, FL 33602, phone (813) 276-8100 ext. 4779, website https://www.hillsclerk.com/marriage-licenses. The marriage license fee is $86.00, reduced to $61.00 if both parties complete a premarital preparation course. There is no waiting period in Florida if both parties are Florida residents and have completed the course; otherwise, there is a three-day waiting period. Marriage licenses are valid for 60 days. Divorce records are court records maintained by the Clerk of the Circuit Court and searchable through the court records database at https://www.hillsclerk.com/public-records/search-our-records. Dissolution of marriage records date back to the 1800s in Hillsborough County, with digital images available for more recent cases.

Lithia, being an unincorporated community, does not issue its own municipal business licenses; business regulations are handled at the Hillsborough County and state levels. Hillsborough County requires local business tax receipts (formerly called occupational licenses) for most businesses operating within the county. The Hillsborough County Tax Collector's Office, Business Tax Receipt Division, located at 906 East Jackson Street, Tampa, FL 33602, phone (813) 635-5200, website https://www.hillstax.org/business-tax, administers business tax receipts with fees ranging from approximately $50 to several hundred dollars depending on business classification and gross revenues. Receipts must be renewed annually by September 30. Fictitious name registrations (DBAs - "Doing Business As") in Florida are filed with the Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations, and can be searched online at https://dos.myflorida.com/sunbiz/. The state's Sunbiz database at https://dos.myflorida.com/sunbiz/search/ provides free searches for corporations, LLCs, limited partnerships, fictitious names, and trademarks registered in Florida, displaying entity status, registration date, principal address, registered agent information, and officer/member names. Florida business entity filings are managed entirely at the state level through the Division of Corporations, PO Box 6327, Tallahassee, FL 32314, phone (850) 245-6052. UCC (Uniform Commercial Code) financing statements and lien searches are also filed with the Florida Department of State and searchable at https://dos.myflorida.com/sunbiz/ucc-filings/. Commercial property assessments and business personal property (tangible property tax) are administered by the Hillsborough County Property Appraiser's Office at (813) 272-6100, website https://www.hcpafl.org/, where business owners can search commercial property values and file annual tangible personal property returns. Professional and occupational licenses (such as contractors, health practitioners, and real estate agents) are regulated by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation at https://www.myfloridalicense.com/.

Lithia voters are served by the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections, located at 2514 North Falkenburg Road, Tampa, FL 33619, phone (813) 744-5900, website https://www.votehillsborough.gov/. The office administers all federal, state, county, and municipal elections for Hillsborough County residents. Florida residents can register to vote online at https://registertovoter.floridalaws.org/ through the Florida Department of State Division of Elections, by mail, or in person at the Supervisor of Elections office, driver license offices, or voter registration agencies. The voter registration deadline is 29 days before any election. To register, applicants must be U.S. citizens, Florida residents, at least 18 years old by election day, and provide a valid Florida driver license number or Florida ID card number. Because Lithia is unincorporated, there are no municipal elections for mayor or city council; Lithia residents vote in Hillsborough County Commission races (District 2 typically covers the Lithia area), countywide constitutional officer races, state legislative races, and federal elections. The Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners consists of seven members elected from single-member districts. Lithia residents can find their assigned polling place by visiting https://www.votehillsborough.gov/Voters/Polling-Locations or calling (813) 744-5900 and providing their address. Florida provides extensive public access to election records: voter registration information (excluding Social Security numbers, driver license numbers, and felony convictions) is public record searchable at https://www.votehillsborough.gov/; campaign finance reports are available through the Florida Division of Elections at https://dos.myflorida.com/elections/candidates-committees/campaign-finance/; candidate filings and qualifications are public; and precinct-level election results are posted at https://www.votehillsborough.gov/Election-Results. In the November 2024 presidential election, Hillsborough County reported approximately 63% voter turnout with over 680,000 ballots cast from roughly 1.08 million registered voters. For the November 3, 2026 general election, Lithia and Hillsborough County voters will decide several key races: Florida will elect a U.S. Senator (the Class III seat currently held by Marco Rubio will be on the ballot); Florida's Governor is elected in presidential years so will not be on the 2026 ballot; all 160 Florida State Legislature seats (40 Senate seats and 120 House seats) will be contested, with Lithia voters participating in their respective state senate and house district races; Hillsborough County voters will elect constitutional officers including Sheriff, Property Appraiser, Tax Collector, Clerk of the Circuit Court, and Supervisor of Elections (all elected in presidential years, so 2026 will be a midterm without these races unless special circumstances arise); and County Commission seats for certain districts will be on the ballot as commissioners serve staggered four-year terms. Florida offers Vote-by-Mail (absentee) ballots to all registered voters who request them; voters can request a mail ballot online at https://www.votehillsborough.gov/Vote-By-Mail, by phone at (813) 744-5900, by mail, or in person. Vote-by-Mail ballots can be requested for a single election or for all elections through the end of the next two calendar years following the year of the request. Early voting is typically offered at multiple locations across Hillsborough County for approximately two weeks before Election Day, with specific dates, times, and locations published at https://www.votehillsborough.gov/. Florida voters are not required to show photo ID when voting by mail but must provide a valid Florida driver license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number on their registration and ballot materials.