This week, state Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis announced more than $28 million in unclaimed property was returned to Floridians during the month of September 2021.
Since Patronis took office in 2017, more than $1.4 billion has been returned to Floridians in unclaimed property.
“We had a great month of returns in September with more than $28 million going back into the pockets of Floridians,” Patronis said. “As the holidays are quickly approaching, now is a great time to check to see if you or a loved one has funds waiting to be claimed. As CFO, I’ve made it a priority to return every cent of unclaimed property back to its rightful owners. There’s an estimated one in five chance that you or a family member has money just waiting to be claimed, free-of-charge. It only takes a few minutes to search for unclaimed property and I encourage individuals and business owners to search today at FLTreasureHunt.gov. It’s your money, claim it now!”
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.
September 2021 Unclaimed Property Returns by Region
• Pensacola – $997,700
• Panama City – $265,900
• Tallahassee – $568,900
• Jacksonville – $2.1 million
• Gainesville – $364,400
• Orlando – $4.8 million
• Tampa/St. Pete – $6.1 million
• Fort Myers/Naples – $1.4 million
• West Palm Beach – $5.1 million
• Miami – $6.8 million