Data Sources
A transparent accounting of the public records, government databases, and statistical sources that form the foundation of our research.
Medical Examiner Records
Records from Florida's 25 Medical Examiner Districts covering cause of death, manner of death, decedent demographics, and disposition status for cases where remains are unclaimed.
Public Records Request (Ch. 119, Fla. Stat.)County Indigent Burial Programs
Data from county-administered indigent burial and cremation programs, including the number of cases processed, costs incurred, and disposition methods employed across Florida's 67 counties.
Public Records Request (Ch. 119, Fla. Stat.)Probate Court Filings
Court records related to unclaimed estates, abandoned property proceedings, and cases where no next of kin could be identified or located for deceased individuals.
Public Court RecordsPublic Records Requests
Formal requests submitted under Florida's Government-in-the-Sunshine laws to obtain data not readily available through existing public databases or online portals.
Florida Statute Chapter 119Publicly Available Mortality Statistics
Aggregate mortality data from the Florida Department of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) WONDER database.
Publicly Available DatabasesFlorida's Public Records Law
Florida's Public Records Law (Chapter 119, Florida Statutes) provides that all state, county, and municipal records are open for personal inspection and copying by any person. This law, combined with Florida's Government-in-the-Sunshine provisions, ensures broad public access to government records and forms the legal basis for the data collection efforts of this initiative.
Privacy & Data Handling
While the records utilized in this research are publicly available under Florida law, the Unclaimed Lives Research Initiative takes additional steps to protect the dignity of the individuals represented in our data. Personally identifiable information is handled with care, and our published analyses present data in aggregate form to prevent the identification of specific individuals except where such identification is already a matter of public record.