ORLANDO, Fla. — Did you know that living in Florida, you have access to information that many states keep under wraps?

In Florida, you're able to find out how much a public employee is paid, whether a person has a criminal past, or if a crime has taken place at a home or apartment where you're thinking about living.

It’s all thanks to Florida’s "Sunshine" law. 

Here’s a link to find out your rights when it comes to getting records or information on someone or something: http://myfloridalegal.com/pages.nsf/Main/3DBE69BB9A74D5188525791B006A54E6

In Florida:

  • You have the right to look at and make copies of public records,
  • You also don't have to say why you want them,
  • And you don't necessarily have to request what you're looking for in writing. You may be asked for various reasons, but not necessarily.

Here's another resource: the city of Orlando has a website called NextRequest, which makes it easy to ask for what you want: https://orlando.nextrequest.com/requests/new

You can also reach out to the municipality in which you're seeking information.

If you're researching crime incidents in a new neighborhood, you can take a look at CrimeReports data in your area. We've made it simple: Just go to mynews13.com/crimemap. You can type in an address and see what’s been happening where you are during a specific time frame.

If you have tips or tricks that make your life easier and you want to share them, fill out the form at mynews13.com/insider. Your idea could be used for a future segment.