Florida Online Historical Newspapers Summary

The Ancestor Hunt regularly adds and updates new collection links, as well as searches for and fixes broken links.
(This page's most recent update is October 2024)
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Florida has a sizable state-wide free online collection for searching historical newspapers. Many states use the Library of Congress Chronicling America site as their main central online site for searching old newspapers. Currently, Florida has quite a few newspapers also available on that site. There are free online newspapers available on other sites and collections available on subscription sites. Below is a list of where the titles are stored and the link to access them. 

There are over 2,300 newspapers that have been published in the Sunshine State – certainly, not all of them are searchable online. But there are several that are indeed available. So go for it – find your Florida ancestors and all the interesting articles that capture the stories of their lives. 

Please note that I have not always entered the dates that are included in the collections, as I suspect they will change as more items are digitized. Also, I suspect that some of these links may change over time – so if there is a dead link – please use your favorite search engine to find their new location. 

(Recently added links are in BOLD)

Florida Historical Newspapers

Free Sites:

Statewide Collections:

Chronicling America – Florida

The Links for Chronicling America go to the new Version 2.0

Google News Archive

Florida Digital Newspaper Library

County and Library Collections:

Boca Raton Newspaper Archive

  • Boca Raton News (1955–1970)
  • The Pelican (1948–1953)
  • The Spanish River Papers (1973–1987)
  • The Weekly Tattler (June–September 1938)

Boynton Beach Public Library Digital Newspapers

  • Boynton Beach Monday Paper 
  • Boynton Beach News
  • Boynton Beach News Journal
  • Boynton Beach Star
  • Boynton Bugle
  • Boynton Herald
  • Boynton Hi-Lite
  • Lake Worth Herald
  • Lucene Herald
  • Palm Beach Post Brown Wrapper
  • Sun Sentinel Sunday Brown Wrapper
  • The Boynton News
  • The Boynton Progress
  • The Examiner
  • The Times-Leader

Central Florida Memory Newspapers

  • Lochmede
  • Orange County Reporter
  • Sanford Chronicle
  • Sanford Today
  • St. Cloud Tribune
  • Stetson Collegiate
  • The Greeter
  • The Rollins Sandspur
  • The Script
  • This Week in Sanford

Coral Gables Memory – Newspapers

  • Coral Gables Times
  • The Guide
  • The Times-Leader
  • Coral Gables Riviera
  • Coral Gables Riviera Times
  • Riviera Times
  • The Times

Florida Hidden Treasures

  • Panama City Pilot
  • Panama Kraft Messenger
  • Panama Kraft News
  • St Andrews Bay News
  • The Bay Liner
  • Jackson County Floridan
  • Papoose
  • Smoke Signals
  • Destin Log
  • Destin Weekly Log
  • Lynn Haven Free Press
  • Lynn Haven Tribune
  • The Weekly Spokesman
  • De Funiak Springs Signal
  • Okaloosa News-Journal
  • The Breeze
  • The Defuniak Herald
  • The Florala News
  • The Florala News Democrat
  • West Florida Daily Globe

Union County Public Library

  • Union County Times

University of South Florida Newspaper Archives

Wakulla County Newspapers

Student Collections:

Barry University – Miami Shores

Broward College – Fort Lauderdale

Christopher Columbus High School – Miami

College of Boca Raton – Boca Raton

Coral Reef Senior High School – Miami

Daytona State College – Daytona Beach

Eckerd College – St. Petersburg

Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University – Daytona Beach

Flagler College – St. Augustine

Florida A&M University – Tallahassee

Florida Atlantic University – Boca Raton

Florida Gulf Coast University – Fort Meyers

Florida Institute of Technology – Melbourne

Florida International University – Miami

Florida Southern College – Sutherland

Florida State College – Jacksonville

Florida State University – Tallahassee

Florida State University College of Law – Tallahassee

Gulf Coast State College – Panama City

Jacksonville University – Jacksonville

Lakeland High School – Lakeland

Lakewood High School – St.Petersburg

Lynn University – Boca Raton

Marymount College – Boca Raton

Miami Dade College North – Miami

Miami Dade College – Miami

Miami Palmetto Senior High School – Palmetto

Miami Senior High School – Miami

New College of Florida – Sarasota

Nova Southeastern University – Fort Lauderdale

Palm Beach Atlantic University – West Palm Beach

Palm Beach State College – Lake Worth

Rollins College – Winter Park

Roosevelt Junior College – West Palm Beach

Saint Leo University – St. Leo

Seminole State College – Sanford

Stetson University – DeLand

Tallahassee Community College – Tallahassee

University of Central Florida – Orlando

University of Florida – Gainesville

University of Miami – Coral Gables

University of North Florida – Jacksonville

University of South Florida – St. Petersburg

University of South Florida – Tampa

University of Tampa – Tampa

University of West Florida – Pensacola

Valencia College – Orlando

Miscellaneous Collections and Indexes:

Jacksonville Newspaper Indexes

  • The Jacksonville Journal
  • The Florida Times-Union
  • The Florida Times-Union Star Edition

Independent Voices – Alternative Newspapers

  • Balaklava
  • The Flamingo Park Gazette
  • WomaNews
  • Defense Committee Newsletter
  • Hogarm
  • Instauration
  • Olive Branch, The

Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Newspapers 1933-1942

Southern School News Archive

Small Town Papers

For Obituary Indexes, transcriptions, and other death/obituary information from historical newspapers, please check out the Obituaries page. ​​

Other Free Sites:

Broward County    

Camp Blanding

Clearwater

Cocoa

Deland

Dunedin

​Ft. Lauderdale

Gainesville

Hollywood

Jacksonville

Key West

Miami​

Miami Beach

Miami-Dade County

Pensacola

Safety Harbor

St. Augustine

St. Cloud

    Starke

    Temple Terrace

    Winter Park

    Subscription or Pay Sites:

    Ancestry.com:

    There are currently 30 publications available on this site. See all the titles at Ancestry – Florida Newspapers

    Genealogy Bank:

    There are currently 320 publications available on this site. See all the titles at Genealogy Bank – Florida Newspapers

    Newspaper Archive:

    There are currently 143 publications available on this site. See all the titles at Newspaper Archive – Florida

    Newspapers.com:

    There are currently 121 publications available on this site. See all the titles at Newspapers.com – Florida.

    And Finally:

    You also need to visit the University of Florida Libraries site from time to time, which can tell you what is occurring in the state with regard to online and other format newspaper availability.

    Please note – even more may be available via a local or state library where a library card is required. And of course, there is always microfilm for those that have not been made available online as yet.

    For more links for different states, provinces, and countries – please see the Newspaper Links page on this website.

    For all Free Florida Collection Links in 24 Genealogy Categories, go to the By Location Page, click on Florida, and then click on the category of interest.

    Good Luck and Happy Hunting!

    2 replies on “Florida Online Historical Newspapers Summary”

    I grew up in Hialeah, FL during the 50s. There was a small new paper called “The Home News.” If possible, I’d like to know how I can research and get copies of issues of that news paper. Can you help?
    Thank you!!

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