Lee County Medical Examiner: records and autopsy reports

Records and autopsy reports from the medical examiner

Who can request

Anyone may request a copy of the final autopsy report. Not all reports can be released under Florida Statute 119, and some may not be public records at the time of the request. (me21.leegov.com)

How to request

Request by phone 239-533-6339, fax 239-277-5017, email, in person with the Public Records Custodian, or by mail to 70 South Danley Drive, Fort Myers, FL 33907. (me21.leegov.com)

Records email

me21@leegov.com (me21.leegov.com)

Records portal

Online Request For Autopsy Report Form: choose a call or email when ready for pickup, or mail (send a self-addressed, stamped envelope with payment). autopsyrptrequest.leegov.com (autopsyrptrequest.leegov.com)

Report fee

$0.15 per page for copies, paid in advance to Lee County Board of County Commissioners by cash, check or money order. Requests needing extensive staff or IT time carry a special service fee, estimated first. (autopsyrptrequest.leegov.com)

Photos and X-rays

Autopsy photographs are not public record and are released only with the signed consent of the decedent's legally authorized representative or a court order. (me21.leegov.com)

When reports are ready

Toxicology or microscopy tests can take several weeks or months. Until then the cause and manner of death are pending, and no information is released on pending matters. (me21.leegov.com)

Cremation approval fee

$75.00 for a cremation authorization in cases not under the medical examiner's jurisdiction. Funeral homes are invoiced monthly. (me21.leegov.com)

Contact details

After a death in Lee County

• After the examination or autopsy, the body may be released to a funeral home chosen by the legally authorized person (Florida Statute 497.005(43)), who may delegate final disposition to anyone.
• If no legally authorized person exists, or that person does not wish or cannot afford to make arrangements, Lee County arranges burial or cremation through its indigent burial program (counties must dispose of unclaimed bodies under F.S. 406.50).
• The funeral director gathers information from the family for the death certificate; the office does not release death certificates.

The medical examiner's role before a cremation

• Funeral homes request cremation authorizations electronically through Florida's Electronic Death Registration System (EDRS). The treating physician must give the funeral home the cause of death; incomplete or improperly certified requests are rejected.
• Funeral homes are invoiced after the end of each month.
• Florida law (F.S. 406.11(1)(c)) puts every body that is to be cremated under the district medical examiner's review.
• Fee. $75.00 per cremation authorization for cases not under the medical examiner's jurisdiction (Lee County Ordinance 15-07)

Florida cremation rules, including when a medical examiner must review a cremation

Next steps for the family

Funeral homes and cremation in Florida · Death certificates in Florida · The first 72 hours · Other offices

Sources

Official pages only, each with the day we read it. Hours and fees change: call first.

• District 21 Medical Examiner, Cremation authorizations, read October 8, 2026
• District 21 Medical Examiner, Family information, read October 8, 2026
• District 21 Medical Examiner, Records, read October 8, 2026
• Florida Statutes 406.11 (Florida Legislature), read October 8, 2026
• District 21 Medical Examiner (Lee County), Request for autopsy report form, read October 15, 2026