Florida Senate - 2015                              CS for SB 526
       
       
        
       By the Committee on Commerce and Tourism; and Senator Grimsley
       
       
       
       
       
       577-01817-15                                           2015526c1
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to notaries public; amending s.
    3         92.525, F.S.; revising the methods available for
    4         verifying documents; amending s. 117.10, F.S.;
    5         defining the term “reliable electronic means”;
    6         authorizing specified officers to administer oaths by
    7         reliable electronic means when engaged in the
    8         performance of official duties; providing an effective
    9         date.
   10          
   11  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   12  
   13         Section 1. Subsection (1) of section 92.525, Florida
   14  Statutes, is amended to read:
   15         92.525 Verification of documents; perjury by false written
   16  declaration, penalty.—
   17         (1) If When it is authorized or required by law, by rule of
   18  an administrative agency, or by rule or order of court that a
   19  document be verified by a person, the verification may be
   20  accomplished in the following manner:
   21         (a) Under oath or affirmation taken or administered before
   22  an officer authorized under s. 92.50 to administer oaths; or
   23         (b) Under oath or affirmation taken or administered by an
   24  officer authorized under s. 117.10 to administer oaths; or
   25         (c) By the signing of the written declaration prescribed in
   26  subsection (2).
   27         Section 2. Section 117.10, Florida Statutes, is amended to
   28  read:
   29         117.10 Law enforcement and correctional officers;
   30  administration of oaths.—
   31         (1) For purposes of this section, the term “reliable
   32  electronic means” means the signing and transmission of a
   33  document through means compliant with criminal justice
   34  information system security measures. Such signing and
   35  transmission must be made by an affiant to an officer authorized
   36  to administer oaths under subsection (2) under circumstances
   37  that indicate that the document was submitted by the affiant.
   38         (2) Law enforcement officers, correctional officers, and
   39  correctional probation officers, as defined in s. 943.10, and
   40  traffic accident investigation officers and traffic infraction
   41  enforcement officers, as described in s. 316.640, are authorized
   42  to administer oaths by reliable electronic means or in the
   43  physical presence of an affiant when engaged in the performance
   44  of official duties. Sections 117.01, 117.04, 117.045, 117.05,
   45  and 117.103 do not apply to the provisions of this section. An
   46  officer may not notarize his or her own signature.
   47         (3) An oath administered pursuant to this section is an
   48  acceptable method of verification as provided under s. 92.525.
   49         Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2015.