Columbia County Warranty Deed (Individual) Form

One sentence does most of the work in a Florida warranty deed: the grantor "does hereby fully warrant the title to said land, and will defend the same against the lawful claims of all persons whomsoever." Florida has prescribed that wording since 1891 in Section 689.02 of the Florida Statutes, and Section 689.03 holds a conveyance substantially in the statutory form to be a warranty deed with full common-law covenants. This product prepares the statutory deed for one individual grantor: a fillable blank, a plain-language guide to every entry, and a completed example built on a Sarasota County sale.

A warranty that reaches the whole chain of title

The full statutory warranty is not limited to the grantor's own years on the title. It covers defects arising at any point in the chain, which separates this deed from a special warranty deed, whose covenant reaches only claims arising by, through, or under the grantor, and from the statutory quitclaim deed of Section 689.025, which conveys the grantor's interest with no covenants at all. Because the covenant is that broad, the deed's Subject To section matters in practice: recorded easements, restrictions, and the current year's taxes are stated there so the warranty is not read to promise their absence.

Two witnesses, a notary, and the homestead signature

Florida asks more at the signing table than most states. Section 689.01 requires two subscribing witnesses to a deed, in addition to the acknowledgment that Section 695.03 requires for recording, and since January 1, 2024 each witness's printed name and post office address must appear on the instrument or the clerk returns the deed unrecorded. The form carries labeled lines for all of it, and its acknowledgment certificates follow the current statutory short form, including the physical presence or online notarization statement that reflects Florida's remote notarization law.

Marriage adds one more signature when the land is the grantor's homestead. Under Article X, Section 4(c) of the Florida Constitution, the owner of homestead real estate, joined by the spouse if married, may alienate it by sale, gift, or mortgage. The form's Joinder of Spouse section carries that signature with its own witnesses and its own notary certificate, and it stays blank when the grantor is unmarried or the land is not homestead.

Documentary stamps and the recording package

A Florida deed travels to the clerk of the circuit court with more than a recording fee. Documentary stamp tax under Section 201.02 is collected at recording, 70 cents per $100 of consideration in every county except Miami-Dade, which uses its own rate and surtax structure. The first page reserves the 3-inch by 3-inch space the clerk requires at the top right, carries the preparer's name and post office address, and includes the parcel identification number blank that Section 689.02(2) builds into the statutory form. The guide walks through each requirement and the recording steps that county practice follows.

The blank deed prints as a traditionally prepared instrument, the completed example shows every entry for a realistic sale, and the guide explains where each item comes from. The materials describe Florida law and the form; they are informational and are not legal advice.