Thank You Governor Rick Scott!

Despite a push by a business called Willing and Passage in the Florida Senate by a 34-0 vote, a bad bill just got vetoed!  Kudos to our governor for looking out for Florida seniors on this issue.  Elder Law Attorneys around Florida worked hard this legislative session to voice our opposition to the Florida Electronic Wills Act.  Current law requires a notary and witnesses to be in the same room to execute a will.  This requirement goes a long way to help safeguard against undue influence and exploitation, particularly of seniors.  In fact, it’s currently a crime in Florida for a notary to not be physically present when notarizing a signature.  The proposed legislation would have allowed the execution of wills and other estate planning documents with the witnesses and a notary in separate locations, meeting via video link.   We felt there were insufficient safeguards to ensure that undue influence was not occurring before or during the execution of the will.
Click here to read the governor’s veto letter.