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Florida returns $26M in unclaimed property, here's how to claims yours

By FOX 35 News Staff
Published  February 12, 2023 4:44pm EST
News
FOX 35 Orlando

Florida announced last week that the state returned over $26 million in unclaimed property to Floridians in January.

Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis said he's encouraging residents to recover and claim cash that could be theirs. 

"My Division of Unclaimed Property kicked off 2023 by putting more than $26 million back into the pockets of Florida families and businesses in January," said Patronis As your CFO, I’ve been proud to highlight the great work my office has done to return every cent of unclaimed property back to its rightful owner. Help us spread the word by encouraging Floridians to recover and claim cash that has been unknown or lost to them. Currently, Florida has unclaimed property accounts with a total value of nearly $2.7 billion."

A total of $5.8 million was returned to the Orlando area and many other cities in the state saw similar returns. Here's what the other cities unclaimed property return numbers are:

  • Pensacola - $663,804
  • Panama City - $339,390
  • Tallahassee - $761,299
  • Jacksonville - $1.1 Million 
  • Gainesville - $373,096
  • Tampa/St Pete - $6.4 Million
  • Fort Myers/Naples - $2.25 Million
  • West Palm Beach - $2.97 Million 
  • Miami - $5.88 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. 

Floridians can find unclaimed property here. 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.