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Florida Statute 679.3171 - Full Text and Legal Analysis
Florida Statute 679.3171 | Lawyer Caselaw & Research
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The 2025 Florida Statutes

Title XXXIX
COMMERCIAL RELATIONS
Chapter 679
UNIFORM COMMERCIAL CODE: SECURED TRANSACTIONS
View Entire Chapter
679.3171 Interests that take priority over or take free of security interest or agricultural lien.
(1) A security interest or agricultural lien is subordinate to the rights of:
(a) A person entitled to priority under s. 679.322; and
(b) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (5), a person who becomes a lien creditor before the earlier of the time:
1. The security interest or agricultural lien is perfected; or
2. One of the conditions specified in s. 679.2031(2)(c) is met and a financing statement covering the collateral is filed.
(2) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (5), a buyer, other than a secured party, of goods, instruments, tangible documents, or a certificated security takes free of a security interest or agricultural lien if the buyer gives value and receives delivery of the collateral without knowledge of the security interest or agricultural lien and before it is perfected.
(3) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (5), a lessee of goods takes free of a security interest or agricultural lien if the lessee gives value and receives delivery of the collateral without knowledge of the security interest or agricultural lien and before it is perfected.
(4) Subject to subsections (6)-(8), a licensee of a general intangible or a buyer, other than a secured party, of collateral other than electronic money, 1goods, instruments, tangible documents, or a certificated security takes free of a security interest if the licensee or buyer gives value without knowledge of the security interest and before it is perfected.
(5) Except as otherwise provided in ss. 679.320 and 679.321, if a person files a financing statement with respect to a purchase-money security interest before or within 20 days after the debtor receives delivery of the collateral, the security interest takes priority over the rights of a buyer, lessee, or lien creditor which arise between the time the security interest attaches and the time of filing.
(6) An encumbrancer or owner, other than the debtor or a lien creditor, who acquires an interest in the related real property takes free of a security interest in goods that are or become fixtures in this state, which interest is perfected only with a financing statement that is not filed as a fixture filing, even if the encumbrancer or owner knows of the existence of such statement. For purposes of s. 695.01, the filing of a financing statement covering goods that are or become fixtures in this state, which statement is not filed as a fixture filing, shall not constitute constructive notice of such security interest to any person, other than a lien creditor, who acquires an interest in the related real property.
(7) The holder of a mortgage or other lien against real property arising under the laws of this state, other than this chapter, has priority with respect to the rents, issues, profits, and proceeds of the real property, including proceeds from the sale thereof, over a security interest in an account consisting of a right to payment of a monetary obligation for the sale of the real property.
(8) A buyer, other than a secured party, of chattel paper takes free of a security interest if, without knowledge of the security interest and before it is perfected, the buyer gives value and:
(a) Receives delivery of each authoritative tangible copy of the record evidencing the chattel paper; and
(b) If each authoritative electronic copy of the record evidencing the chattel paper can be subjected to control under s. 679.1052, obtains control of each authoritative electronic copy.
(9) A buyer of an electronic document takes free of a security interest if, without knowledge of the security interest and before it is perfected, the buyer gives value and, if each authoritative electronic copy of the document can be subjected to control under s. 677.106, obtains control of each authoritative electronic copy.
(10) A buyer of a controllable electronic record takes free of a security interest if, without knowledge of the security interest and before it is perfected, the buyer gives value and obtains control of the controllable electronic record.
(11) A buyer, other than a secured party, of a controllable account or a controllable payment intangible takes free of a security interest if, without knowledge of the security interest and before it is perfected, the buyer gives value and obtains control of the controllable account or controllable payment intangible.
History.s. 3, ch. 2001-198; s. 6, ch. 2002-242; s. 67, ch. 2010-131; s. 6, ch. 2012-59; s. 92, ch. 2025-92.
1Note.The words “tangible documents” preceding the word “goods” were deleted by the editors to eliminate redundancy with the addition of the term after the word “instruments” in this sentence by s. 92, ch. 2025-92. This conforms to the location of the term “tangible documents” in the listing in the Uniform Law Commission’s Uniform Commercial Code Amendments (2022).

F.S. 679.3171 on Google Scholar

F.S. 679.3171 on CourtListener

Amendments to 679.3171


Annotations, Discussions, Cases:

Cases Citing Statute 679.3171

Total Results: 5  |  Sort by: Relevance  |  Newest First

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In Re Grubbs Constr. Co., 319 B.R. 698 (Bankr. M.D. Fla. 2005).

Cited 17 times | Published | United States Bankruptcy Court, M.D. Florida | 55 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 501, 18 Fla. L. Weekly Fed. B 75, 2005 Bankr. LEXIS 19, 2005 WL 56972

...avoid for the benefit of the estate unperfected security interests. 11 U.S.C. § 544(a)(trustee may avoid a transfer or obligation incurred by debtor that is voidable by a creditor on a simple contract that could have obtained a judicial lien); *711 § 679.3171(l)(b)l, Fla....
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In Re Summit Staffing Polk Cnty., Inc., 305 B.R. 347 (Bankr. M.D. Fla. 2003).

Cited 6 times | Published | United States Bankruptcy Court, M.D. Florida | 17 Fla. L. Weekly Fed. B 74, 2003 Bankr. LEXIS 1911, 2003 WL 23273254

...In Florida, Revised Article 9 is contained in Chapter 679, Florida Statutes, entitled Uniform Commercial Code: Secured Transactions. *351 Florida Statutes § 679.1021(1)(zz)(3) defines a trustee in bankruptcy as a "lien creditor" from the date of the filing of the petition. Pursuant to § 679.3171(1)(b)(1), a security interest is subordinate to the rights of lien creditor before such security interest is perfected, and a bankruptcy trustee takes priority over the rights of a holder of an unperfected security interest....
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Colony Beach & Tennis Club Ass'n v. Colony Lender, LLC (In re Colony Beach & Tennis Club, Inc.), 508 B.R. 468 (Bankr. M.D. Fla. 2014).

Cited 2 times | Published | United States Bankruptcy Court, M.D. Florida

...Wells Fargo N.A., (In re Highland Construction Mgt. Services LP) 497 B.R. 829, 831 (Bankr.E.D.Va.2013). . The trustee also acquires the status of a bona fide purchaser of real property, a status which is outside the scope of § 679.515(3), Fla. Stat. . Section 679.3171(1), Fla....
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Charlotte Dev. Partners, LLC v. Tricom Pictures & Prods., Inc., 33 So. 3d 690 (Fla. 4th DCA 2009).

Cited 1 times | Published | Florida 4th District Court of Appeal | 71 U.C.C. Rep. Serv. 2d (West) 182, 2009 Fla. App. LEXIS 18426, 2009 WL 4282939

...We affirm the circuit court's decision that GE Capital was entitled to the $10,000. The description of collateral in the security agreement was insufficient to create a security interest in the cash bond. GE Capital's judgment lien was superior to the unperfected security interest. See § 679.3171(1)(b)1., Fla....
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1944 Beach Boulevard, LLC v. Live Oak Banking Co. (11th Cir. 2021).

Published | Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

...which governs secured transactions, including perfection of secu- rity interests. See Fla. Stat. ch. 679; In re Summit Staffing, 305 B.R. at 350. In Florida, a lien creditor takes priority over the rights of a holder of any unperfected security interest. Fla. Stat. § 679.3171(1)(b)(1) (“A security interest ....

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