The Florida Senate

712.01  Definitions.--As used in this law:

(1)  The term "person" as used herein denotes singular or plural, natural or corporate, private or governmental, including the state and any political subdivision or agency thereof as the context for the use thereof requires or denotes and including any homeowners' association.

(2)  "Root of title" means any title transaction purporting to create or transfer the estate claimed by any person and which is the last title transaction to have been recorded at least 30 years prior to the time when marketability is being determined. The effective date of the root of title is the date on which it was recorded.

(3)  "Title transaction" means any recorded instrument or court proceeding which affects title to any estate or interest in land and which describes the land sufficiently to identify its location and boundaries.

(4)  The term "homeowners' association" means a homeowners' association as defined in s. 617.301(7), or an association of parcel owners which is authorized to enforce use restrictions that are imposed on the parcels.

(5)  The term "parcel" means real property which is used for residential purposes that is subject to exclusive ownership and which is subject to any covenant or restriction of a homeowners' association.

(6)  The term "covenant or restriction" means any agreement or limitation contained in a document recorded in the public records of the county in which a parcel is located which subjects the parcel to any use restriction which may be enforced by a homeowners' association or which authorizes a homeowners' association to impose a charge or assessment against the parcel or the owner of the parcel.

History.--s. 1, ch. 63-133; s. 11, ch. 65-420; s. 1, ch. 81-242; s. 1, ch. 97-202.