As an owner of residential property in Florida, you are aware that your community is probably subject to a unique set of “governing documents.” Typically these will include a Declaration of Covenants and Restrictions, Association Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws, and various Rules and Regulations.
Less well known is the statutory process of “platting,” which is required whenever a developer wishes to subdivide a large piece of property into smaller parcels and tracts. These smaller areas become the residential lots, streets and parks of a new residential sub-division.
Creation of statutory subdivision plats is governing by Florida Statute 177 Part 1. The statute contains specific requirements for both drafting and filing a plat. Basically a plat is a map of the subdivision of lands, which is supposed to be an exact representation of both the subdivision and other information required by the statute and any local ordinances. The next time you have an issue with boundaries in your community, the extent or purpose of an easement, or whether a portion of property is within your property, check your plat in addition to other governing documents, it has a wealth of information.
Every plat of a subdivision must be accompanied by a survey of all the boundaries of the platted lands. The survey must be performed under the supervision of a professional surveyor. Each plat must be accompanied by a title opinion of a Florida attorney, abstractor or title company which shows that all the owners of the property are executing the plat, and that all mortgages on the property have been satisfied.
The statute lists 29 specific requirements for each plat, including the size of the plat and the color ink that must be used. In working with your community plat (which is recorded in the Public Records of the County in which your community is located) the following requirements can be particularly useful:
- A prominent “north arrow” must be drawn on every page to allow you to orient the map.
- Sufficient data must be shown on the plat to describe the boundaries of every residential lot, block, street, easement, park and all other areas shown on the subdivision plat.
- Properties which adjoin the subdivision must be identified by subdivision title, plat book and page. If adjoining land is unplatted, that must also be designated.
- Both the location and width of all easements must be shown either on the plat or in the notes or legend on the plat. The specific intended use of each easement must also be clearly stated.
- If there is an interior parcel within the community that is not part of the plat, it must be clearly labeled; “Not A Part Of This Plat”. Without such a label, all property within the boundaries of the platted subdivision are included.
If your community decides to have another survey of any portion of the property, it is important to remember that the original surveyor who prepares a subdivision plat is presumed to have been correct. For this reason, the new survey will only locate the original monuments, points and lines of the original survey. If for any reason there is a discrepancy between what the subdivision plat shows and what the original survey indicates, the monuments placed on the ground as part of the original survey have precedence.