CS for CS for SB 624 — Liens and Bonds

• Requires clerks of court to serve copies of recorded notices of contest of claim (against payment bonds and liens) on claimants, lienors, and contractors/attorneys, with fees charged as provided by law
• Expands the definition of "contractor" to include licensed general and building contractors providing construction management or program management services, and adds a new definition for "finance charge"
• Creates s. 713.011 to extend filing deadlines that fall on weekends, holidays, or during emergency closures of the clerk's office, tolling time periods by the number of days the office was closed
• Increases the dollar threshold for requiring a notice of commencement filing before the first inspection from $2,500 to $7,500, and raises the additional security amount for lien transfers from $1,000 to $5,000 (or 25% of the lien amount, whichever is greater)
• Updates notarization forms to include checkboxes for physical presence or online notarization, revises notice of termination procedures to require pre-recording service on lienors, and authorizes attorney fees in actions to enforce liens transferred to security, effective October 1, 2023