TAMPA, Fla. — Florida's CFO Jimmy Patronis said more than $38 million in unclaimed property was returned to Floridians last month, with more than $7 million of that returned to people in the Tampa Bay area.
According to a press release, 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.
RELATED: Floridians: You could have unclaimed money waiting for you
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.
October 2021 Unclaimed Property Returns by Region
- Pensacola - $939,000
- Panama City - $470,700
- Tallahassee - $912,600
- Jacksonville - $2.76 million
- Gainesville - $403,600
- Orlando - $7.74 million
- Tampa/St. Pete - $7.67 million
- Fort Myers/Naples - $2.13 million
- West Palm Beach - $6.21 million
- Miami - $8.79 million
“October was a great month in Unclaimed Property returns with more than $38 million going back into the pockets of Floridians. With the holidays quickly approaching, there is no better time to check to see if you or a loved one has funds waiting to be claimed," Patronis said. "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 [fltreasurehunt.gov].”
To search for unclaimed property or to claim an account, go online to FLTreasureHunt.gov.
