I recently handled a Florida case where a 16 year old kid committed some vehicle burglaries. This is a relatively common crime where kids go into unlocked cars and steal change and whatever else they think might be worth something. But a few days later, I got an outraged call from his mother because his full name - first, last, and middle, AND his home address and date of birth were in the newspaper. When I Googled it, sure enough, his name, address and all identifying information were in several newspapers.
My understanding of the law was that juvenile names, especially alleged defendants in crimes, were confidential. Apparently, not anymore. As of July 2008, any child charged (not convicted) of a felony offense is not exempt from public record. In fact, I went to the Hernando County Florida Sheriff's Office website and found a PRESS RELEASE with this kid's name in it. Apparently, the Hernando County Sheriff's Office finds it good press to solve silly crimes. (They recently arrested a 14 year old boy for having CONSENSUAL sex with a 12 year old girl)
So I looked up the NEW LAW and found, indeed, it was legal to publish the names of juvenile defendants (Florida Statute 985.04). However, the Clerk's Office, nor the State Attorney's Office will provide you with any information on juvenile cases.
