Obituary & people search
Search Florida Obituaries
Look up obituaries, death records and people by name.
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Obituary guide
How to find an obituary in Florida
For a recent death, start with the funeral home's website and the obituary page of the local daily, such as the Tampa Bay Times or Orlando Sentinel. For an older death, the State Library of Florida's large microfilm collection and the University of Florida's digitized newspapers are the main statewide sources.
What to have ready
- The person's full name, including a maiden name or nickname
- The approximate date of death and the city or county where they died
- Their age or birth year
- Names of close relatives
Knowing the county narrows your search the most. Many Floridians also had an obituary in a hometown paper up north, so note where they lived before Florida.
Where to look, by when the person died
| When the person died | Where to look |
|---|---|
| Last few years | The funeral home's website; the Tampa Bay Times, Orlando Sentinel and South Florida Sun Sentinel obituary pages; Legacy.com |
| 1990s to recent decades | Newspaper databases at your public library, often usable from home with a library card |
| Older or historic | The State Library of Florida's newspaper collection; the University of Florida's Florida Digital Newspaper Library; genealogy societies such as the Florida State Genealogical Society and Florida Genealogical Society of Tampa |
| Official death record | Florida's state death records include some deaths as early as 1877. See how to order a Florida death certificate. |
Major newspapers' obituary pages
- Tampa Bay Times
- Orlando Sentinel
- South Florida Sun Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale)
Recent listings are open to read. Older articles on newspaper sites may need a subscription.
Libraries and archives
- State Library of Florida in Tallahassee has more than 20,000 reels of historic Florida newspapers on microfilm. Staff will email requested articles at no charge, so it helps to know the paper and date.
- Florida Digital Newspaper Library, from the University of Florida, lets you search digitized Florida papers online.
- State Library and Archives genealogy resources point you to where birth and death records can be obtained.
Timeline expectations
- Recent obituaries usually appear online within days, often before the service.
- Digitized coverage varies by paper and year. Check which years your town's paper covers.
- The State Library doesn't post a turnaround time for article requests.
Tips
- Snowbirds and retirees often had a second obituary in the paper back home. Search there too.
- When you ask the State Library for an article, give the newspaper title and exact date if you can.
- Contact the genealogy society for the county where the person died and ask what obituary or cemetery indexes it keeps.
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Note: Coverage years, fees and web addresses are set by the libraries, archives and newspapers listed and can change. PublicLibraries.com is not affiliated with them.