On Monday, state Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis announced more than $28 million in unclaimed property was returned to Floridians last month.
Since Patronis took office in 2017 more than $1 billion has been returned to Floridians in Unclaimed Property.
“We’re working hard to get our economy back on its feet and that’s why I am proud to announce that for the month of September more than $28 million went to the pockets of Floridians. Since the pandemic began in March, we have recovered and returned more than $216 million, which is especially important because now is the time when people need it the most. I’m looking forward to continuing to work hard and close out 2020 as a record-high year in returns. I encourage all Floridians to search now for unclaimed property at FLTreasureHunt.gov,” Patronis said on Monday.
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.
After eight years in the Florida House and serving on the state Public Service Commission (PSC), Patronis was named to his current post in the summer of 2017 by then Gov. Rick Scott after Jeff Atwater resigned the position to take a job at Florida Atlantic University (FAU). Back in November 2018, Patronis beat former state Sen. Jeremy Ring to win a term in his own right.
