Florida Maps Online - Tutorial

Advanced Search Parcels

Search Parcels by Parcel ID

• PIN formats vary between counties.
• Search with no Search Text value to see random records and the PIN format.
• PIN and either ALTKEY or an alternate version of the PIN are searched.
• You can enter a partial parcel ID.
• If you are having trouble finding a PIN, zoom in to a small area of the county you are searching in. Then use the "i tool" to click on a parcel. Inspect the PIN format, and make sure you are searching using the correct format, i.e. some counties include dashes in the PIN and others don't. In addition, Section / Township / Range info is sometimes re-ordered in the PIN.

Search Parcels by Owner Name

• Owner name formats vary between counties, i.e. lastname firstname OR firstname lastname
• You can enter a partial owner name.
• Capitalization and punctuation are ignored.
• If you are having trouble finding an owner name, try entering less information, i.e. a partial name or trying reversing lastname firstname.

Search Parcels by Site Address

• Do not enter a city, state or zipcode direction
• Only enter some combination of street number, prefix dir, street name, street type, suffix dir.
• Prefex directions are abbreviated, i.e. N.
• Capitalization and punctuation are ignored.
• Vacant land may or may not be addressed, it varies by county.
• If you are having trouble finding a street address, try entering less information, e.g. a street number, a prefix direction, and the first few letters of a street name.

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Parcel Search Results

Search Results

• Click Zoom To to zoom to a parcel.
• Search with no Search Text value to see random records and the PIN format.
• PIN and either ALTKEY or an alternate version of the PIN are searched.
• You can enter a partial parcel ID.
• If you are having trouble finding a PIN, zoom in to a small area of the county you are searching in. Then use the "i tool" to click on a parcel. Inspect the PIN format, and make sure you are searching using the correct format, i.e. some counties include dashes in the PIN and others don't. In addition, Section / Township / Range info is sometimes re-ordered in the PIN.

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Parcel Details

• For some counties, the PIN is a clickable link to the parcel record on county Property Appraiser website.
• For some counties, the sale Book / Page or Docnums is a clickable link to the parcel record on county Property Appraiser website.

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Find Address

• Enter all or part of an address and click Search.
• A red marker is placed at the address location.
• Addresses are either placed in the center of a parcel, or along a street.

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Select Map Layers

• More than 50 different map layers are available.
• The Map Layer Directory provides information describing the different map layers.
• You can create a wide variety of map combinations.
• Check the map layer on to turn it on.
• You can view one Base Layer at a time.
• Some map layers take a few seconds to draw.
• Some map layers are not available in all areas of Florida.
• Many map layers are visible only when zoomed in past 1:54K.
• Map layers draw from bottom to top.

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Zoom Bar

• The top of the zoom bar is the closest zoom.
• Click the + icon to zoom and and the - icon to zoom out.
• Zoom multiple levels by clicking in the bar.

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Pan Map

• Click an arrow to pan the map in that direction.
• Good for making slight adjustments to viewing area.

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Map Navigation Controls

Zoom In and Recenter

Click and drag a box on the map to zoom into a specific area. Or click on the map to zoom in and recenter the map on the location you clicked.

Zoom Out

When you click in the map, the map will zoom out a factor of 2x.

Pan

When you click in the map, you can hold the mouse down to drag the map. It will recenter where you let go.

Go Back

Return to previous map extent.

Go Forward

Go forward to last map extent after using the Go Back tool. This tool will not be usable until the "Go Back" tool is used.

Zoom to GPS Location

If you have an iPad or tablet with a built-in GPS, clicking this icon will zoom the map to your current location and follow you as you move.

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Identify Feature ("i tool")

• Some map layers can be queried by clicking on the map to get information at that location.
• A popup window will show with information from any queryable layer that is turned on.
• Queryable layers include: Parcels, Future Land Use, Zoning, City Limits, FEMA Flood Zones, Land Cover, and Soils.

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Identify Feature Popup

• When you select the "i tool" and click on the map, a popup appears.
• Click on a parcel and see owner name, parcel ID, street address, land use type, acres, and more.
• The popup results will vary depending on the map layers that are checked on in the Map Layers tab.
• Not all map layers will show results in the popup menu.

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Parcel Info

Clicking the Property Details link in the i-tool popup menu opens the Parcel Info tab.

View owner name, owner address, parcel ID, street address, last three sales, appraised values, land use type, acres, and more.

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Select Parcels on Map by Point, Line, or Polygon

• Click on the map to define an area (polygon) to select parcels.
• A minimum of three click locations are needed to define and area.
• Double-click to end the line.
• The selected parcels will highlight on the map and the associated records will display in the Search Results menu.
• You can use the selected parcels to create a custom boundary.
• The custom boundary can be saved and becomes part of the Custom Boundaries map layer.

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Drawing Tools

Save / Load Projects

• You can save drawings to individual projects.
• A project can be in a personal or group folder.
• The group folder is for companies with multiple subscribers.
• The features are only visible to an individual or company group.

Draw Modes

• The drawing tool has 4 drawing modes.
• Select a draw mode, select a feature type, then perform your desired action.
  • Add Features - select either the point, label, line, or polygon icon, then click in the map to add the feature.
  • Modify Feature Symbol - select either the point, label, line, or polygon icon, then click on the feature to modify. A dialog box will popup with additional options to change color, size, etc.
  • Move / Reshape Features - select either the point, label, line, or polygon icon, then click on the feature to modify. To move a feature, click-drag. To reshape a a line or polygon, click the feature and click on one of the handles. Click in the center of a line segment to add another vertice.
  • Delete Features - select either the point, label, line, or polygon icon, then click on the feature to delete.

Modify Feature Symbol

• Each draw feature can be individually symbolized.
• The symbolization persists with your project.

Measure Length or Area

Measure Length

• When you click in the map you can measure distance of one or more line segments.
• You can click several times to define an irregularly shaped line.
• Double-click to end the line.
• The total distance is displayed in feet and miles if zoomed out.

Measure Area

• When you click in the map you can measure distance of an area.
• You can click several times to define the area to measure (polygon).
• Double-click to end the line.
• The total area is displayed in square feet and acres, or square miles if zoomed out.

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Map Legend

Click the Legend tab to display the map legend. You may need to scroll down to see the full legend.

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Print Map

• You cannot print the OpenStreetMap base layers. Please choose a MapWise or aerial base layer instead.
• Create an unlimited number and variety of maps.
• Print maps for reports.
• Print maps to take with you on the road.
• A map with aerials may take 60+ seconds to generate.
• Once the image is generated it may take 60+ seconds to load in the browser.
• Map images are generated at an image size equivalent to 150 dpi. When printed, the map image resolution will be 150 dpi.
• Remember to set the proper page orientation and page size in your printer settings.

Adjust Printable Area

• After you select the print layout, an orange transparent box will appear on the map.
• The box shows the map area that will be printed.
• To adjust the print area, first click in the box and it will highlight blue.
• To move the box, click-drag the orange circle in the middle of the box.
• To resize the box, click-drag the orange circle on the lower right corner of the box.
• The box conforms to the aspect ratio of the map layout you select.

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Download Map Image

The download image tool is very flexible and may take some experimentation to get the output you are looking for. When creating a map, there are three main variables that control the size and detail of the map.

1. Map Area - the geographic extent of the map
2. Map Scale - the level of map detail, i.e. how far zoomed in or out the map is.
3. Map Size - the physical size of the map.

The Download Image tool can generate maps that are optimized for on-screen display or for printed output.

General Notes:

• You cannot print the OpenStreetMap base layers. Please choose a MapWise or aerial base layer instead.
• The download image tool generates an image that you can save and use elsewhere.
• The Image DPI controls the symbology size, not the image size.
• Symbology at 150dpi or 300dpi will appear too big when viewed on the screen, but when printed at the same resolution, it will look correct.
• An image with aerials may take 60+ seconds to generate.
• Once the image is generated it may take 60+ seconds to load in the browser.
• Images up to 9000 x 9000 pixels have been tested.

Export for Software

• If you adjust the image resolution, the Image Width and Height will be adjusted accordingly.

Custom Print

• Use this tool to create custom page sizes to be printed.

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Long/Lat Coordinates

Coordinates are shown where your mouse is located.

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Data Sources

All aerial photography and map layer data is acquired from federal, state, and local government sources. MapWise processes much of the data to make it more useful and easier to use. We also create new layers that are derived from the original data.

Information update frequencies vary between counties. Generally, the larger central and south Florida counties are updated more often than the rural and panhandle counties.

Data Coverage

Some map layers do not cover the entire state. In some areas of the state, either the government has not mapped that area, or we have not yet acquired the information. For more information on what is available where, please consult the Map Layer Directory or contact us.

Map Scale

Some map layers are not available at all map scales. For example, parcel boundaries will not display until you zoom in to a scale of 1:14,000 or closer (i.e. smaller number).

More Information

Please refer to the Map Layer Directory for more information about each map layer available in Florida Maps Online.

Contact Us

Please contact us for more information or requests for additional functionality and map layers. Your needs drive development.