This week, state Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis announced that more than $26 million in unclaimed property was returned to Floridians during the month of December.
In 2022, the CFO’s Division of Unclaimed Property returned a grand total of $351.2 million. Since Patronis took office in 2017, more than $1.8 billion in unclaimed property has been returned to Florida citizens.
“I’m happy to announce the return of more than $26 million in unclaimed property to the pockets of Florida families and businesses in the month of December,” Patronis said on Thursday. “As Florida’s Chief Financial Officer, it is my mission to return every cent of unclaimed property back to its rightful owner. In 2022, we returned $351.2 million and my team is working to surpass that annual amount in 2023. Florida currently holds more than 14 million unclaimed property accounts with a total value of more than $2.5 billion. I am encouraging every Floridian to search now for unclaimed property for yourself, your friends, your loved ones, and even your business at FLTreasureHunt.gov. It’s your money, claim it today!”
December 2022 Unclaimed Property Returns by Region:
Pensacola – $665,794
Panama City – $494,044
Tallahassee – $1.04 Million
Jacksonville – $885,462
Gainesville – $446,628
Orlando – $3.09 Million
Tampa/St. Pete – $6.11 Million
Fort Myers/Naples – $1.5 Million
West Palm Beach – $3.93 Million
Miami – $7.85 Million
Unclaimed property is a financial asset that is unknown or lost, or has been left inactive, unclaimed or abandoned by its owner. The most common types of unclaimed property are dormant bank accounts, unclaimed insurance proceeds, stocks, dividends, uncashed checks, deposits, credit balances and refunds. Unclaimed property also includes contents from abandoned safe deposit boxes in financial institutions. Unclaimed property assets are held by business or government entities (holders) for a set period of time, usually five years. If the holder is unable to locate, re-establish contact with the owner and return the asset, it is reported and remitted to the Florida Department of Financial Services, Division of Unclaimed Property.
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