The document that actually transfers ownership of Florida real estate: the three deed types you will see, what each promises, and what makes a deed valid here.
The strongest form. The grantor warrants that they hold good title, have the right to convey it, that it is free of undisclosed encumbrances, and that they will defend the grantee against any title claim, including defects that arose before the grantor ever owned the property. Florida's statutory short form is in section 689.02, and it is the deed most resale contracts, including the FloridaRealtors/FloridaBar forms, call for.
The grantor warrants title only against claims arising during their own period of ownership, not before. Builders, banks selling foreclosed property, estates and institutional sellers typically insist on it because they cannot vouch for the chain of title before them. A buyer's owner's title insurance policy is what fills the gap.
Conveys whatever interest the grantor has, with no warranty at all, and possibly nothing. It is the right tool for transfers between people who already know the title: adding or removing a spouse, moving a home into a revocable trust or LLC, clearing a cloud on title, dividing property in a divorce. It is the wrong tool for an arm's-length purchase, and title insurers scrutinize a recent quitclaim in the chain.
Two Florida-specific notes: a quitclaim between spouses or into a trust can still trigger documentary stamp tax if there is a mortgage on the property, because the assumed debt counts as consideration; and re-deeding a homestead can affect the homestead exemption and the Save Our Homes cap if the ownership change is not structured carefully.
Section 689.01 requires a writing signed by the grantor before two witnesses; since 2020 the deed must also show the grantor's and each witness's post-office address. Acknowledgment before a notary is what makes the deed recordable. Recording is done with the clerk of court in the county where the land sits, and the clerk collects documentary stamp tax on the consideration at $0.70 per $100 statewide ($0.60 in Miami-Dade) plus a per-page recording fee.
Florida also has an enhanced life estate deed, the lady bird deed, used to pass a home at death without probate while the owner keeps full control.
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