Florida: your 18-year-old’s paperwork

What this covers: how a Florida student signs the four Covered18 documents (health care directive, financial power of attorney, HIPAA release, FERPA consent) and what to do afterward. It does not say which choices are right for your family.

0. Before you start

• Age: Florida removes the disability of nonage at 18 (Fla. Stat. §743.07). Sign on or after the 18th birthday.
• Talk with the person you plan to name (and a backup) before anything is printed. They need to agree and know where the papers will be.
• Schools, hospitals and banks sometimes ask for their own forms. Ask the school's registrar and student health center what they accept.
• If any item below says UNVERIFIED, confirm it with the notary, the state source, or a lawyer before relying on it.

1. Health care directive

Designation of Health Care Surrogate (Florida suggested form)
Statutory form text reproduced verbatim from the official source (see Sources). Suggested form, Fla. Stat. §765.203 ("may, but need not, be" in this form).

• Sign in front of two adult witnesses who also sign (Fla. Stat. §765.202(1)). There is no notary alternative.
• The surrogate cannot be a witness. At least one witness must be neither the principal's spouse nor blood relative (§765.202). The kit default is two witnesses who are not family.
• A surrogate's authority to make decisions begins when the principal is unable, unless the principal initials the immediate-effect box in the form.

Watch for: - Two adult witnesses are required. The surrogate cannot be a witness, and at least one witness must be neither the principal's spouse nor blood relative (§765.202). - Give the surrogate an exact copy.

2. Financial power of attorney

Financial power of attorney: fill-in guide (Florida)
No form text reproduced. Florida has NO statutory financial POA form. Covered18 does not write power-of-attorney language, so this is a guide and a checklist, not a form. Use a form or lawyer-drafted document that meets Fla. Stat. ch. 709 part II.

• Principal signs; two subscribing witnesses sign; the principal acknowledges before a notary (§709.2105(2)). That is four people in the room: principal, two witnesses and a notary.
• No statutory form exists, so a document is needed from another source.

3. HIPAA authorization and FERPA consent

• The HIPAA release and FERPA consent are separate papers built from the federal required elements (45 CFR 164.508; 34 CFR 99.30). The student signs and dates each. Neither gives anyone the power to make decisions; they only allow information to be shared.
• Notarization is not required by the federal rules. Some schools and providers want their own form; ask first.
• Florida has additional confidentiality rules for mental-health, substance-use and HIV records (Fla. Stat. §394.4615, §397.501, §381.004). These were saved but not summarized. UNVERIFIED.
• Ask the registrar and student health center which forms they accept.

4. Remote (online) options

Question	What we found
Remote witnessing / notarization	Florida online notaries may supervise remote witnessing of electronic records, including health care advance directives and POAs, with extra screening and limits (§117.285). Remote witnessing is ineffective for "vulnerable adults." Procedure details: UNVERIFIED. Do not market remote execution.

If the table says UNVERIFIED, plan on signing in person. See the notary options page for online notary services and their public prices.

5. If the student is signing from another state

• Another state's directive: valid if executed in compliance with that state's law or Florida law (§765.112).
• Another state's POA: valid if executed in compliance with the law of the state of execution, but a third party may request an opinion of counsel and may reject a POA valid only on this basis (§709.2106(3)).

Banks and hospitals decide for themselves what they accept. Whether yours accepts an out-of-state document is UNVERIFIED.

6. Stop and ask a lawyer if

• The student expects an effective-later (springing) POA; Florida does not allow it.
• Anything in your situation does not match this guide (for example guardianship, a disability, or a business interest).

7. Checklist to bring to the notary

• ☐ Government photo ID that is current (the notary will check it against the name on the papers).
• ☐ The documents, printed, unsigned. Do not sign ahead of time.
• ☐ Every person who must be present: the student, any witnesses (see Section 1 and 2), and the notary.
• ☐ Names, addresses and phone numbers for the agent(s) and backups.
• ☐ A black-ink pen. Print the HIPAA release and FERPA consent on their own pages.
• ☐ Ask the notary what the fee is before the appointment. Notary fees are not included in Covered18's price.
• ☐ Do not bring the agent as a witness unless the state section above says it is allowed.

8. After signing

• Make copies. Give a copy to the agent, the backup agent, the student's doctor or campus health center, and the bank if the financial document is meant to be used there. Keep the original somewhere safe and tell people where.
• Keep a scan in a place the agent can reach.
• Review once a year and after any big change (new school, move, relationship change). The HIPAA release has its own expiry date; set a reminder.
• If the student wants to change or cancel a document, ask the notary or a lawyer how to do that in your state.

9. UNVERIFIED items

• 2026-session bills.
• Remote-witnessing procedure details.
• Mental-health, substance-use and HIV record rules (Fla. Stat. §394.4615, ch. 397, §381.004 were saved but not summarized).