Florida Statute 732.521
“Definitions”
What it means
Florida authorized fully electronic wills effective 2020, and this is the definitions section that anchors the law. It defines an electronic will as a testamentary instrument — including a codicil — executed with an electronic signature in the manner the code requires.
An electronic signature is an electronic mark, visible in the record, that a person adopts with intent to sign. 'Electronic record' borrows its meaning from Florida's e-commerce statute (§668.50), and online notarization from §117.201. These definitions set up §732.522, which tells you how to sign an electronic will validly.
- Defines the terms for Florida's electronic wills law (effective 2020).
- Electronic will: a will or codicil executed with an electronic signature as the code prescribes.
- Electronic signature: an electronic mark adopted with intent to sign the record.
- Electronic record and online notarization borrow the §668.50 and §117.201 meanings.
How it plays out
Electronic wills are still the exception in our practice, not the rule, but clients ask about them more every year. The definitions here matter because Florida's e-will regime is tightly wired to online notarization and remote witnessing — it's not simply 'sign a PDF.' When someone wants a fully electronic will, we walk through the §732.522 mechanics carefully; a will that misses the technical requirements is worse than no e-will at all, because it can look valid and fail at probate.
Where this shows up
Pages on this site where § 732.521 does real work:
Questions people ask
