From Spanish crown grants through
modern court records, land records tell the story of people
who populated Florida’s lands and what they did with
them. Land records in Florida tend to over three stages.
First come Spanish land grants, and British land sales.
Then following the creation of the Territory of Florida in
1821, a federal land commission held hearings and made reports
to Congress concerning the land claims in the 1820s. The last
period is the township and section survey of the State; these
records tend to be in the courthouses of the appropriate county
but are occasionally published and indexed in print.
Land issues and real estate have played very important
roles in the growth and development of this state. Through
the buying and selling of lands, Florida has become a very
densely populated region, and offers many resources to its
population. The Florida Heritage Collection provides access
to works on land records and other territorial issues.
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