At the end of last week, state Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis announced that more than $36 million in unclaimed property had been returned to Floridians during the month of May.
The Division of Unclaimed Property has returned more than $368 million to Floridians this fiscal year alone, a new annual record. Since Patronis took office in 2017, more than $1.6 billion in unclaimed property has been returned to Florida citizens.
”“I have made it my mission as Florida’s CFO to return every last cent back to Floridians and my Unclaimed Property team works hard every day to ensure that happens. With still a month left in the Fiscal Year, we have already broken our annual record by returning more than $368 million to the pockets of Floridians. There is still more than $2 billion just waiting to be claimed and it only takes a few minutes to search with absolutely no cost to you. Now is the perfect time to search our website and discover if there are any unclaimed treasures in your name. Search now for yourself, your friends, your loved ones, and even your business at FLTreasureHunt.gov. It’s your money, claim it now!” Patronis said.
May 2022 Unclaimed Property Returns by Region:
• Pensacola – $470,300
• Panama City – $382,700
• Tallahassee – $840,600
• Jacksonville – $1.4 million
• Gainesville – $374,900
• Orlando – $5.4 million
• Tampa/St. Pete – $6 million
• Fort Myers/Naples – $3.4 million
• West Palm Beach – $7.3 million
• Miami – $10.7 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.
To search for unclaimed property or to claim an account, go online to FLTreasureHunt.gov.