Current as of 2026-07-01
The short answer
It depends on how you notarize. If you perform traditional, in-person notarizations, Florida does not require you to keep a journal. If you are commissioned as an online notary public and perform remote online notarization (RON), you must keep an electronic journal under Florida Statutes section 117.245.
This split trips people up constantly. A lot of circulating "which states require a journal" lists just mark Florida as "required" or "not required" with no distinction, and both answers are half wrong.
If you only notarize in person
Florida does not mandate a journal for traditional notarization. Many Florida notaries keep one anyway, since it is standard defensive practice if a notarization is ever questioned in a dispute or a fraud claim, and some employers or title companies require it as a matter of internal policy even though the state does not.
If you perform remote online notarization
Online notaries public must keep an electronic journal of every RON transaction. Under section 117.245, the entry set includes the date and type of the act, the type of document, the signer's name, how you identified the signer, and the fee charged, including a "no fee" entry when you waived it. The electronic journal is retained for 10 years.
How Notary Journal handles all of this
Notary Journal builds the Florida entry to match your situation. If your state selection reflects in-person work, the app makes clear there is no state mandate, while still giving you a clean, sequential record if you choose to keep one. If you notarize online, the form shows the fields section 117.245 asks for and records a "no fee" entry when you waive the fee. Every entry is numbered and append-only, so the sequence holds up under review either way.
When you need a copy, it exports a PDF or CSV. The whole thing runs on your device, offline, with no account and no server. Your record stays yours.
A note on what this is
This page is a general reference, not legal advice. Florida notary law can change, and employer or title-company policy may require more than the state does. Confirm the current requirements with the Florida Department of State before you rely on anything here.