§ 679.3131, Fla. Stat. · Part III. PERFECTION AND PRIORITY
When possession by or delivery to secured party perfects security interest without filing.
Text — 2026 Florida Statutes
(1) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (2), a secured party may perfect a security interest in goods, instruments, negotiable tangible documents, or tangible money by taking possession of the collateral. A secured party may perfect a security interest in certificated securities by taking delivery of the certificated securities under s. 678.3011.
(2) With respect to goods covered by a certificate of title issued by this state, a secured party may perfect a security interest in the goods by taking possession of the goods only in the circumstances described in s. 679.3161(4).
(3) With respect to collateral other than certificated securities and goods covered by a document, a secured party takes possession of collateral in the possession of a person other than the debtor, the secured party, or a lessee of the collateral from the debtor in the ordinary course of the debtor’s business, when:
(a) The person in possession signs a record acknowledging that it holds possession of the collateral for the secured party’s benefit; or
(b) The person takes possession of the collateral after having signed a record acknowledging that the person will hold possession of the collateral for the secured party’s benefit.
(4) If perfection of a security interest depends upon possession of the collateral by a secured party, perfection occurs not earlier than the time the secured party takes possession and continues only while the secured party retains possession.
(5) A security interest in a certificated security in registered form is perfected by delivery when delivery of the certificated security occurs under s. 678.3011 and remains perfected by delivery until the debtor obtains possession of the security certificate.
(6) A person in possession of collateral is not required to acknowledge that the person holds possession for a secured party’s benefit.
(7) If a person acknowledges that the person holds possession for the secured party’s benefit:
(a) The acknowledgment is effective under subsection (3) or s. 678.3011(1), even if the acknowledgment violates the rights of a debtor; and
(b) Unless the person otherwise agrees or law other than this chapter otherwise provides, the person does not owe any duty to the secured party and is not required to confirm the acknowledgment to another person.
(8) A secured party having possession of collateral does not relinquish possession by delivering the collateral to a person other than the debtor or a lessee of the collateral from the debtor in the ordinary course of the debtor’s business if the person was instructed before the delivery or is instructed contemporaneously with the delivery:
(a) To hold possession of the collateral for the secured party’s benefit; or
(b) To redeliver the collateral to the secured party.
(9) A secured party does not relinquish possession, even if a delivery under subsection (8) violates the rights of a debtor. A person to whom collateral is delivered under subsection (8) does not owe any duty to the secured party and is not required to confirm the delivery to another person unless the person otherwise agrees or law other than this chapter otherwise provides.
Notes and commentary — not statutory text
History
s. 3, ch. 2001-198; s. 65, ch. 2010-131; s. 88, ch. 2025-92.
Source of truth
- Edition
- 2026 Florida Statutes
- Official file
- https://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0600-0699/0679/0679.html
- Text hash
- sha256 7868b632688024d299cd90cf5f338445d8291186fb9aed139ba32e43ca436a35
- Composed by
- compose_v2.py 2026-10-04: the Legislature's structured HTML read in document order; verify_v2.py's independent reading agrees character for character
- composed from the Legislature's structured HTML (one source of text; no PDF extraction); a second, independent reading of the same bytes agrees character for character
This section cites
Provisions in this library that the text above cites, as it prints each citation. A range cited as “ss. 61.13-61.16” links its first and last provisions.
Cited by 7 provisions
Provisions in this library whose text cites § 679.3131, Fla. Stat.. Each shows the citation as that text prints it.
The Florida Statutes
- § 679.2031, Fla. Stat.Attachment and enforceability of security interest; proceeds; supporting obligations; formal requisites.Printed as s. 679.3131
- § 679.3101, Fla. Stat.When filing required to perfect security interest or agricultural lien; security interests and agricultural liens to which filing provisions do not apply.Printed as s. 679.3131
- § 679.3111, Fla. Stat.Perfection of security interests in property subject to certain statutes, regulations, and treaties.Printed as ss. 679.3131 and 679.3161(4)
- § 679.3121, Fla. Stat.Perfection of security interests in chattel paper, controllable accounts, controllable electronic records, controllable payment intangibles, deposit accounts, documents, goods covered by documents, instruments, investment property, letter-of-credit rights, and money; perfection by permissive filing; temporary perfection without filing or transfer of possession.
Procedural information only. Not legal advice and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Confirm the current text with the official publisher before relying on it.