EXHIBIT 5

                               ADORNO & YOSS, P.A.
                           350 East Las Olas Boulevard
                                   Suite 1700
                         Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33301

                                                          telephone 954-763-1200
                                                         telecopier 954-766-7800


August 7, 2002

Visual Data Corporation
1291 S.W. 29th Avenue
Pompano Beach, FL 33069

       Re:      Registration Statement on Form S-3; Visual Data Corporation
                (the "Company")

Gentlemen:

         This opinion is submitted pursuant to the applicable rules of the
Securities and Exchange Commission with respect to the registration for public
sale of 10,544,814 shares of common stock, $.0001 par value ("Common Stock"),
including up to 2,003,107 shares of Common Stock reserved for issuance upon
exercise of certain outstanding warrants to purchase common shares and 4,933,507
shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of convertible debentures (the
"Reserved Shares"). The Common Stock and the Reserved Shares are hereinafter
collectively referred to as the "Registrable Shares".

         In connection therewith, we have examined and relied upon original,
certified, conformed, photostat or other copies of (a) the Articles of
Incorporation, as amended, and Bylaws of the Company; (b) resolutions of the
Board of Directors of the Company authorizing the offering and the issuance of
the Registrable Shares and related matters; (c) the Registration Statement and
the exhibits thereto; (d) the instruments defining the terms and conditions of
the Reserved Shares; and (e) such other matters of law as we have deemed
necessary for the expression of the opinion herein contained. In all such
examinations, we have assumed the genuineness of all signatures on original
documents, and the conformity to originals or certified documents of all copies
submitted to us as conformed, photostat or other copies. In passing upon certain
corporate records and





documents of the Company, we have necessarily assumed the correctness and
completeness of the statements made or included therein by the Company, and we
express no opinion thereon. As to the various questions of fact material to this
opinion, we have relied, to the extent we deemed reasonably appropriate, upon
representations or certificates of officers or directors of the Company and upon
documents, records and instruments furnished to us by the Company, without
independently checking or verifying the accuracy of such documents, records and
instruments.

       Based upon and subject to the foregoing, we are of the opinion that (1)
the currently outstanding Common Stock have been legally issued and are fully
paid and non-assessable, and (2) the Reserved Shares, when issued and upon
payment of the agreed upon consideration therefore, will be legally issued,
fully paid and non-assessable.

       We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the
Registration Statement and to use our name under the caption "Legal Matters" in
the prospectus comprising part of the Registration Statement.

                                       Sincerely,

                                       ADORNO & YOSS, P.A.

                                       /s/ Adorno & Yoss, P.A.