JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Duval County clerk of courts employee is under fire after a City Council auditor's report showed the employee improperly accessed personal information from a statewide database.
The Driver and Vehicle Information Database contains a wealth of confidential personal information for Florida drivers -- such as driver's license number, home address, license plates, Social Security number, driver's history, emergency contact information, and every driver's license picture a driver has ever taken.
That's all the information needed to steal someone's identity.
A routine internal audit found that of the 15 clerk of court employees with access to DAVID, one was accessing it improperly, searching their spouse, siblings, a parent, themselves and others. There were a total of 25 searches on eight individuals, according to the report.
The investigator found there were no public records -- such as a traffic ticket or pending criminal case -- that would justify those searches.
The clerk of court called in the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office integrity/special investigation unit, and those investigators found no crime was committed, but said that the employee violated the DAVID policies and procedures.
The clerk said that the employee’s access to DAVID was immediately terminated after the investigation and a disciplinary action was initiated.
“The clerk's office takes this breach very seriously, and it will not be tolerated,” the clerk wrote.
The city auditor found that overall, employees' activity was not being monitored regularly and quality control reviews weren't always being done at the clerk of courts office.
The clerk's office said it is making changes.
How to find who's searched for you
Florida drivers have the right to pull their own DAVID history to see what government employees have been accessing their information. A records search could cost $10 to $30 on average.
To request a driver's DAVID inquiry searches, go to https://www.flhsmv.gov/resources/open-government email HSMV-Records@flhsmv.gov or mail:
Division of Motorist Services
Bureau of Records
2900 Apalachee Pkwy, MS 89
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0500
Drivers must include their full legal name as it appears on their driver's license, as well as their driver's license number, when making a request.
They will also want to include the time frame they want searched. Searches can go back up to four years.