(1) Instead of furnishing a copy of the trust instrument to a person other than a beneficiary, the trustee may furnish to the person a certification of trust containing the following information:

(a) The trust exists and the date the trust instrument was executed.

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Terms Used In Florida Statutes 736.1017

  • Beneficiary: A person who is entitled to receive the benefits or proceeds of a will, trust, insurance policy, retirement plan, annuity, or other contract. Source: OCC
  • person: includes individuals, children, firms, associations, joint adventures, partnerships, estates, trusts, business trusts, syndicates, fiduciaries, corporations, and all other groups or combinations. See Florida Statutes 1.01
  • Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
(b) The identity of the settlor.
(c) The identity and address of the currently acting trustee.
(d) The powers of the trustee.
(e) Whether the trust contains any powers of direction, and if so, the identity of the current trust directors, the trustee powers subject to a power of direction, and whether the trust directors have directed or authorized the trustee to engage in the proposed transaction for which the certification of trust was issued.
(f) The revocability or irrevocability of the trust and the identity of any person holding a power to revoke the trust.
(g) The authority of cotrustees to sign or otherwise authenticate and whether all or less than all are required in order to exercise powers of the trustee.
(h) The manner of taking title to trust property.
(2) A certification of trust may be signed or otherwise authenticated by any trustee.
(3) A certification of trust must state that the trust has not been revoked, modified, or amended in any manner that would cause the representations contained in the certification of trust to be incorrect.
(4) A certification of trust need not contain the dispositive terms of a trust.
(5) A recipient of a certification of trust may require the trustee to furnish copies of any excerpts from the original trust instrument and later amendments that designate the trustee and confer upon the trustee the power to act in the pending transaction.
(6) A person who acts in reliance on a certification of trust without knowledge that the representations contained in the certification are incorrect is not liable to any person for so acting and may assume without inquiry the existence of the facts contained in the certification. Knowledge of the terms of the trust may not be inferred solely from the fact that a copy of all or part of the trust instrument is held by the person relying on the certification.
(7) A person who in good faith enters into a transaction in reliance on a certification of trust may enforce the transaction against the trust property as if the representations contained in the certification were correct.
(8) This section does not limit the right of a person to obtain a copy of the trust instrument when required to be furnished by law or in a judicial proceeding concerning the trust.