bloodteethandflame

In other news, I received the final piece in my commission to become a Florida notary public this past Thursday; my commission stamp finally arrived in the mail!

As you might imagine, I am excited to begin to work as a notary public, as it’s another great addition to my skill-set.

But while I was out with my kid at the grocery store yesterday (Friday), I experienced a strange coincidence.

This guy had walked up to us, asking for money. He claimed to be homeless, and he launched into a story about how he needed $17 for food, and $50 for – I kid you not – notary public fees.

He then admitted that he’d already gotten $4 of the amount that he needed by pulling the four one dollar bills from his wallet as if to show us proof of his honesty.

Now, since I have recently become a notary public – my commission is marked as beginning on 3rd February 2021 as a matter of fact! – I thought that $50 sounded like a huge amount for notary fees.

Why?

Because, according to the state of Florida, “a notary may charge up to $10 in notary fees for any notarial act… If you charge a higher fee than prescribed by law, the Governor may suspend your commission.”

So I was wondering what in the world this guy needed notarized that required *five* notarial acts to be performed to be considered legal.

I mean, barring the solemnization of a marriage, or signing for a mortgage on a house (which can require, on average, two stamped notarizations) I cannot fathom why he’d need $50 just for notary fees.

It definitely struck me as the oddest part of his story – his insistence on needing money for notary fees!

So, between us, my son and I gave him a grand total of $13, for which this man was grateful – but for some reason, it did not occur to me to offer him my newly minted notary services.

But it amuses me to think now that I could have!

What a weird little coincidence, I could have said to him, I just became a notary public as of last week…!

LOL