ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Many Floridians are missing out on extra money in their bank account from unclaimed cash from unclaimed property and other financial assets.
In an effort to not sound like a scam, let us explain.
10 Tampa Bay's Carolina Leid set up shop in St. Petersburg to see if people in the area were aware that they could be missing out on funds. In 2022, the state paid out $388 million to Floridians.
The number isn't hard to reach when one in five people have unclaimed property, the Florida Department of Financial Services said on its website. So how do you find out if you have unclaimed funds? Through a quick search that takes less than 30 seconds, of course.
While out asking people if they'd heard of the Florida Treasure Hunt website, it became tough to grab their attention. That is until Lynne Alexander found interest in what 10 Tampa Bay had to say.
"We're doing a story about unclaimed funds in the state of Florida," Leid said to passersby.
"Yes, of course, I want free money," Alexander said.
She wasn't aware that Florida had a website to check. She checked but wasn't able to find any unclaimed funds under her name. While Alexander didn't find any money, she said she'll spread the word.
Harold Shinitzky of Tierra Verde found unclaimed funds.
"I'm excited, I'm hopeful, I'm optimistic," Shinitzky said. "I can't wait to see how much it is. I'm excited about getting some free money."
The unclaimed property Florida has been trying to return includes financial assets that are not known about, have been left inactive, have gotten lost or have been unclaimed or abandoned 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," Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis' office explained in a statement. "Unclaimed property also includes contents from abandoned safe deposit boxes in financial institutions."
Every state has a website with unclaimed money that just sits there until you search and claim the funds. Each year, millions of dollars are paid out to people in the state.
Cassidy Scoggins from St. Louis, Missouri, tried her luck by checking the Missouri website for unclaimed funds. She found a claim under her stepmom's name.
To see if you have any unclaimed funds, just head to www.FLTreasureHunt.gov. Once you're there, click "start your search" and put your name. If you want, you can add your city and zip code to narrow the search.
Barbara Huch who's from New Jersey says her mom cashed in through the site.
"It's worth a shot," she said. "If it's there, it's there. If it's not you're back where you started but it could be a great surprise."