TAMPA, Fla. — Another month, another round of unclaimed property returned to Floridians.
In July, Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis says his office gave back more than $26 million. Patronis has made returns of financial assets a key priority since he took office in 2017. Since then, about $1.7 billion has been put back in the hands of people living in the Sunshine State.
“My unclaimed property team is excited to announce the return of more than $26 million in unclaimed property to the pockets of Florida families and businesses in the month of July," Patronis wrote in a statement. "That’s an amazing injection of cash into Florida’s communities and it’s my mission to continue to return every cent of unclaimed property back to its rightful owner."
The CFO's office says the unclaimed property it handles can include financial assets that are lost, abandoned, or unknown about by their rightful owners.
"The most common types of unclaimed property are dormant bank accounts, unclaimed insurance proceeds, stocks, dividends, uncashed checks, deposits, credit balances and refunds," the Department of Financial Services wrote in an email. "Unclaimed property also includes contents from abandoned safe deposit boxes in financial institutions."
Of the $26 million returned in July, more than $5.3 million was to people or businesses in the Tampa Bay region. A regional breakdown, provided by the state, can be found below.
- Pensacola – $833,793
- Panama City – $203,699
- Tallahassee – $1,847,782
- Jacksonville – $1,273,798
- Gainesville – $378,462
- Orlando – $4,307,569
- Tampa/St. Pete – $5,348,129
- Fort Myers/Naples – $1,559,895
- West Palm Beach – $3,551,884
- Miami – $6,714,814
Sometimes, the property owner isn't located. Generally speaking, financial assets are held for a set number of years before being remitted to the state if the owner cannot be found.
On Aug. 27, the state's unclaimed property team will host an auction at the Holiday Inn – Tampa Westshore Airport location. Patronis said the goal is to "garner top dollar for lost or abandoned items in Florida’s unclaimed property vault."
Click here to find out if you are owned money.
