The Land Title World in Florida

Good morning world.  It is 6:30 a.m. and I have been up for two hours studying the law.  I am 53 years old and in my final year of law school.  The first two years in law school were a blurr of constitutional, substantial and procedural laws.  This final year is application and review!  What fun.  The pain in my neck is evidence that I have worked myself to the core and will finally (May 2010) become a member of "the club".  You may wonder what "the club" is, but trust me, you will know before too long. But let me begin at the semi-beginning!

I come from the business world of the Florida land title insurance industry.  I began my career, ironically right here in Fort Lauderdale as at the age of 20 as an "Abstract" delivery person.   It is ironic because in 2007 I was only accepted into law school at Nova Southeastern University, Shepard Broad School of Law. 

A little explanation is in order.  What is an "Abstract," you may ask.  This blogging isn't like talking on a chat, I have to try and anticipate what no one is thinking! An abstract is the term used to describe the chronologically organized printed pages of the public records on any particular piece of property of interest to a client.  Back in the day (1977) attorneys in the Broward and Dade County areas would order an "abstract" of their particular property from the company I worked for Abstract Company of Broward County (ACBC).  The attorney's clients land records in the form of large volumes of binders full of the record title to one house searched back to the Spanish grant to Florida would be placed into my car and I would transport these volumes (sometimes stacked as tall as me, which is 4' 11" or taller) to the attorneys offices.  Upon reciept of the trunk load of volumes the attorney would attempt to examine the documents inside these volumes and produce a title commitment upon which title insurance could be written. 

It was my job to make sure that these volumes of land records were transported to the attorney and later picked up from his offices and returned to the storage facility.  ACBC actually was comprised of two huge warehouses of the land records for every piece of property that had been researched by "abstractors" in the current history of Broward and Dade Counties.  The company also had a title plant where all ongoing county land records were posted to large books called tract books.  These books were organized by subdivision of the county records either by recorded plat maps or by the township and range system of land descriptions. About twenty people would take copies of documents recorded at the court house and record them in the tract books.  This office also had title examiners, computer people, and the delivery department.   

Well time has expired for this morning.  I will pick up another day where we leave off here.  Oh and by the way, the "club" is the exclusive world of the attorney.  I have always called it that because from the outside looking in it seems that they are a world all to themselves.  And from my short time in law school I was right! But more on that later!