Every plat of a subdivision offered for recording shall conform to the following:

(1) It must be:

(a) An original drawing made with black permanent drawing ink; or

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Terms Used In Florida Statutes 177.091

  • Block: includes "tier" or "group" and means a group of lots existing within well-defined and fixed boundaries, usually being an area surrounded by streets or other physical barriers and having an assigned number, letter, or other name through which it may be identified. See Florida Statutes 177.031
  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
  • Easement: means any strip of land created by a subdivider for public or private utilities, drainage, sanitation, or other specified uses having limitations, the title to which shall remain in the name of the property owner, subject to the right of use designated in the reservation of the servitude. See Florida Statutes 177.031
  • Escrow: Money given to a third party to be held for payment until certain conditions are met.
  • Governing body: means the board of county commissioners or the legal governing body of a county, municipality, town, or village of this state. See Florida Statutes 177.031
  • Legal entity: means an entity that holds a certificate of authorization issued under chapter 472, whether the entity is a corporation, partnership, association, or person practicing under a fictitious name. See Florida Statutes 177.031
  • Lot: includes tract or parcel and means the least fractional part of subdivided lands having limited fixed boundaries, and an assigned number, letter, or other name through which it may be identified. See Florida Statutes 177.031
  • Monument: means a survey marker which must:
    (a) Be composed of a durable material. See Florida Statutes 177.031
  • Professional surveyor and mapper: means a surveyor and mapper registered under chapter 472 who is in good standing with the Board of Professional Surveyors and Mappers. See Florida Statutes 177.031
  • Public utility: includes any public or private utility, such as, but not limited to, storm drainage, sanitary sewers, electric power, water service, gas service, or telephone line, whether underground or overhead. See Florida Statutes 177.031
  • Right-of-way: means land dedicated, deeded, used, or to be used for a street, alley, walkway, boulevard, drainage facility, access for ingress and egress, or other purpose by the public, certain designated individuals, or governing bodies. See Florida Statutes 177.031
  • Street: includes any access way such as a street, road, lane, highway, avenue, boulevard, alley, parkway, viaduct, circle, court, terrace, place, or cul-de-sac, and also includes all of the land lying between the right-of-way lines as delineated on a plat showing such streets, whether improved or unimproved, but shall not include those access ways such as easements and rights-of-way intended solely for limited utility purposes, such as for electric power lines, gas lines, telephone lines, water lines, drainage and sanitary sewers, and easements of ingress and egress. See Florida Statutes 177.031
  • Subdivision: means the division of land into three or more lots, parcels, tracts, tiers, blocks, sites, units, or any other division of land; and includes establishment of new streets and alleys, additions, and resubdivisions; and, when appropriate to the context, relates to the process of subdividing or to the lands or area subdivided. See Florida Statutes 177.031
  • Survey data: means all information shown on the face of a plat that would delineate the physical boundaries of the subdivision and any parts thereof. See Florida Statutes 177.031
(b) A nonadhered scaled print on a stable base film made by photographic processes from a film scribing tested for residual hypo testing solution to assure permanency.

Marginal lines, standard certificates and approval forms shall be printed on the plat with a permanent black drawing ink. A print or photographic copy of the original drawing must be submitted with the original drawing.

(2) The size of each sheet shall be determined by the local governing body and shall be drawn with a marginal line, or printed when permitted by local ordinance, completely around each sheet and placed so as to leave at least a 1/2-inch margin on each of three sides and a 3-inch margin on the left side of the plat for binding purposes.
(3) When more than one sheet must be used to accurately portray the lands subdivided, an index or key map must be included and each sheet must show the particular number of that sheet and the total number of sheets included, as well as clearly labeled matchlines to show where other sheets match or adjoin.
(4) In all cases, the letter size and scale used shall be of sufficient size to show all detail. The scale shall be both stated and graphically illustrated by a graphic scale drawn on every sheet showing any portion of the lands subdivided.
(5) The name of the plat shall be shown in bold legible letters, as stated in s. 177.051. The name of the subdivision shall be shown on each sheet included. The name of the professional surveyor and mapper or legal entity, along with the street and mailing address, must be shown on each sheet included.
(6) A prominent “north arrow” shall be drawn on every sheet included showing any portion of the lands subdivided. The bearing or azimuth reference shall be clearly stated on the face of the plat in the notes or legend, and, in all cases, the bearings used shall be referenced to some well established and monumented line.
(7) Permanent reference monuments must be placed at each corner or change in direction on the boundary of the lands being platted and may not be more than 1,400 feet apart. Where such corners are in an inaccessible place, “P.R.M.s” shall be set on a nearby offset within the boundary of the plat and such offset shall be so noted on the plat. Where corners are found to coincide with a previously set “P.R.M.,” the Florida registration number of the professional surveyor and mapper in responsible charge or the certificate of authorization number of the legal entity on the previously set “P.R.M.” shall be shown on the new plat or, if unnumbered, shall so state. Permanent reference monuments shall be set before the recording of the plat. The “P.R.M.s” shall be shown on the plat by an appropriate symbol or designation.
(8) Permanent control points shall be set on the centerline of the right-of-way at the intersection and terminus of all streets, at each change of direction, and no more than 1,000 feet apart. Such “P.C.P.s” shall be shown on the plat by an appropriate symbol or designation. In those counties or municipalities that do not require subdivision improvements and do not accept bonds or escrow accounts to construct improvements, “P.C.P.s” may be set prior to the recording of the plat and must be set within 1 year of the date the plat was recorded. In the counties or municipalities that require subdivision improvements and have the means of insuring the construction of said improvements, such as bonding requirements, “P.C.P.s” must be set prior to the expiration of the bond or other surety. If the professional surveyor and mapper or legal entity of record is no longer in practice or is not available due to relocation, or when the contractual relationship between the subdivider and professional surveyor and mapper or legal entity has been terminated, the subdivider shall contract with a professional surveyor and mapper or legal entity in good standing to place the “P.C.P.s” within the time allotted.
(9) Monuments shall be set at all lot corners, points of intersection, and changes of direction of lines within the subdivision which do not require a “P.R.M.” or a “P.C.P.”; however, a monument need not be set if a monument already exists at such corner, point, or change of direction or when a monument cannot be set due to a physical obstruction. In those counties or municipalities that do not require subdivision improvements and do not accept bonds or escrow accounts to construct improvements, monuments may be set prior to the recording of the plat and must be set at the lot corners before the transfer of the lot. In those counties or municipalities that require subdivision improvements and have the means of ensuring the construction of those improvements, such as bonding requirements, monuments shall be set prior to the expiration of the bond or other surety. If the professional surveyor and mapper or legal entity of record is no longer in practice or is not available due to relocation, or when the contractual relationship between the subdivider and professional surveyor and mapper or legal entity has been terminated, the subdivider shall contract with a professional surveyor and mapper or legal entity in good standing who shall be allowed to place the monuments within the time allotted.
(10) The section, township, and range shall appear immediately under the name of the plat on each sheet included, along with the name of the city, town, village, county, and state in which the land being platted is situated.
(11) Each plat shall show a description of the lands subdivided, and the description shall be the same in the title certification. The description must be so complete that from it, without reference to the plat, the starting point and boundary can be determined.
(12) The dedications and approvals required by ss. 177.071 and 177.081 must be shown.
(13) The circuit court clerk’s certificate and the professional surveyor and mapper’s seal and statement required by s. 177.061 shall be shown.
(14) All section lines and quarter section lines occurring within the subdivision shall be indicated by lines drawn upon the map or plat, with appropriate words and figures. If the description is by metes and bounds, all information called for, such as the point of commencement, course bearings and distances, and the point of beginning, shall be indicated. If the platted lands are in a land grant or are not included in the subdivision of government surveys, then the boundaries are to be defined by metes and bounds and courses.
(15) Location, width, and names of all streets, waterways, or other rights-of-way shall be shown, as applicable.
(16) Location and width of proposed easements and existing easements identified in the title opinion or property information report required by s. 177.041(2) must be shown on the plat or in the notes or legend, and their intended use shall be clearly stated. Where easements are not coincident with property lines, they must be labeled with bearings and distances and tied to the principal lot, tract, or right-of-way.
(17) All contiguous properties shall be identified by subdivision title, plat book, and page, or, if unplatted, land shall be so designated. If the subdivision platted is a part or the whole of a previously recorded subdivision, sufficient ties shall be shown to controlling lines appearing on the earlier plat to permit an overlay to be made; the fact of its being a replat shall be stated as a subtitle under the name of the plat on each sheet included. The subtitle must state the name of the subdivision being replatted and the appropriate recording reference.
(18) All lots shall be numbered either by progressive numbers or, if in blocks, progressively numbered in each block, and the blocks progressively numbered or lettered, except that blocks in numbered additions bearing the same name may be numbered consecutively throughout the several additions.
(19) Sufficient survey data shall be shown to positively describe the bounds of every lot, block, street easement, and all other areas shown on the plat. When any lot or portion of the subdivision is bounded by an irregular line, the major portion of that lot or subdivision shall be enclosed by a witness line showing complete data, with distances along all lines extended beyond the enclosure to the irregular boundary shown with as much certainty as can be determined or as “more or less,” if variable. Lot, block, street, and all other dimensions except to irregular boundaries, shall be shown to a minimum of hundredths of feet. All measurements shall refer to horizontal plane and in accordance with the definition of the U.S. Survey foot or meter adopted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. All measurements shall use the 39.37 ÷ 12 = 3.28083333333 equation for conversion from a U.S. foot to meters.
(20) Curvilinear lot lines shall show the radii, arc distances, and central angles. Radial lines will be so designated. Direction of nonradial lines shall be indicated.
(21) Sufficient angles, bearings, or azimuth to show direction of all lines shall be shown, and all bearings, angles, or azimuth shall be shown to the nearest second of arc.
(22) The centerlines of all streets shall be shown as follows: noncurved lines: distances together with either angles, bearings, or azimuths; curved lines: arc distances, central angles, and radii, together with chord and chord bearing or azimuths.
(23) Park and recreation parcels as applicable shall be so designated.
(24) All interior excepted parcels as described in the description of the lands being subdivided shall be clearly indicated and labeled “Not a part of this plat.”
(25) The purpose of all areas dedicated must be clearly indicated or stated on the plat.
(26) When it is not possible to show line or curve data information on the map, a tabular form may be used. The tabular data must appear on the sheet to which it applies.
(27) The plat shall include in a prominent place the following statements: “NOTICE: This plat, as recorded in its graphic form, is the official depiction of the subdivided lands described herein and will in no circumstances be supplanted in authority by any other graphic or digital form of the plat. There may be additional restrictions that are not recorded on this plat that may be found in the public records of this county.”
(28) All platted utility easements shall provide that such easements shall also be easements for the construction, installation, maintenance, and operation of cable television services; provided, however, no such construction, installation, maintenance, and operation of cable television services shall interfere with the facilities and services of an electric, telephone, gas, or other public utility. In the event a cable television company damages the facilities of a public utility, it shall be solely responsible for the damages. This section shall not apply to those private easements granted to or obtained by a particular electric, telephone, gas, or other public utility. Such construction, installation, maintenance, and operation shall comply with the National Electrical Safety Code as adopted by the Florida Public Service Commission.
(29) A legend of all symbols and abbreviations shall be shown.