Gov. Ron DeSantis has just signed legislation to make it safer for Floridians to sign up for services that notify them of a potential property scam or fraud.
The measure (HB 285), which lawmakers unanimously approved this past Session, became effective upon receiving the Governor’s signature.
In short, it protects the private information of people who sign up for recording notification services (RNS) — typically free programs that inform deed holders if a document has been filed to change ownership of their property.
Those programs, including one under Broward County Property Appraiser Marty Kiar, help counteract deed fraud, a growing problem where scammers file fake deeds to steal houses from their rightful owners.
All HB 285 does is make emails, telephone numbers, personal and business names, and parcel identification numbers submitted to a Clerk or Property Appraiser for RNS exempt from public disclosure.
The goal, according to a press note from the measure’s sponsor, Parkland Democratic Rep. Christine Hunschofsky, is to encourage more residents to sign up for the services, as they become more effective with more registrants.
“This law is about trust,” she said Tuesday shortly after DeSantis signed the legislation. “We want people to have peace of mind that they can use these services without compromising their privacy, (and) I’m proud to have worked with Marty Kiar … to take this critical step in property fraud prevention.”
Hunschofsky told Florida Politics in January that passing HB 285 was among her top priorities for the 2024 Legislative Session.
St. Petersburg Republican Sen. Nick DiCeglie carried a similar companion measure (SB 1000). He ultimately laid his bill on the table in favor of Hunschofsky’s version.
In the first six months of 2023 alone, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported that there were 92 cases of deed fraud under investigation in Broward County.
Lawmakers last year approved legislation (HB 1419) that, among other things, launched a pilot program authorizing county Clerks and Property Appraisers throughout Florida to create notifications similar to the one in Broward.
Kiar called HB 285 an “excellent” addition to Florida Statutes that “will help safeguard registered property owners from becoming victims of fraud.”
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