Acknowledgment in Florida Real Estate
An acknowledgment is the formal verification, performed before a notary public, that a person signing a legal document did so voluntarily and is the person they represent themselves to be. In Florida, acknowledgment is a prerequisite for recording any instrument in the county official records.
Requirements Under Florida Law
Florida Statute Section 695.03 requires that deeds, mortgages, and other instruments affecting real property be acknowledged before a notary or other authorized officer before they can be recorded. The notary must verify the signer's identity through personal knowledge or satisfactory evidence such as a government-issued photo ID. The acknowledgment certificate must include the notary's signature, commission number, and expiration date.
Remote Online Notarization
Florida pioneered remote online notarization (RON) under Section 117.265, allowing acknowledgments via secure two-way audiovisual technology. The signer completes identity verification through knowledge-based authentication and credential analysis. RON has become a standard option for Florida real estate closings, particularly for out-of-state buyers purchasing property in Manatee and Sarasota counties.
Related Terms
Barnes Walker Title Services
Barnes Walker Title handles notarization, acknowledgment, and recording services for closings throughout Southwest Florida. Submit a title inquiry to coordinate your closing.
Reviewed by the attorneys at Barnes Walker, Goethe, Shea & Robinson, PLLC