Florida Notary Bill Vetoed!

On June 23, Florida Governor Jeb Bush vetoed HB 567, a bill was designed to combat fraud by requiring Florida notaries to keep a journal of notarial acts.

Currently, Chapter 117 of the Florida statutes governing notaries public does not require notaries to keep journals of the acts they perform.

Gov. Bush was not convinced the bill would succeed in the purpose, also noting that making journals public record could compromise individuals’ personal information such as addresses and telephone numbers.

The Florida Department of State did not issue any statement on its website. When reached for comment, Susan Smith, press secretary for Secretary of State Sue M. Cobb refused to go on the record, stating, “I won’t go on the record because there is nothing to go on the record about.”

Audrey O’Kelley, Executive Communications Manager at the NNA told The Notary Republic that the governor’s decision had come as a surprise.

“The NNA supported the bill,” she said, “as it supports all actions to protect the notary and the public. Also, in trials, only the portion relevant is made available. That is why the FBI is in support of the NNA’s position on keeping journals.”

She mentioned that in California, where a thumbprint is also required, notary journals go a long way in fighting fraud.

When asked about the supposed potential for privacy violations, O’Kelley stated, “We do encourage our notaries to keep journals under lock of key. But the journal itself is not a public record—the notary journal is not covered by the US public records law.”

At the time he vetoed HB 567, Governor Bush signed HB 1145 into law, which makes “In God We Trust” Florida’s official state motto. Good thinking—with no record of notarial acts, God’s just who Florida will have to trust if any records come into question.

Read the bill at FLSenate.gov.