FL Has $2.9 Billion In Unclaimed Property; Are You Owed Money?

FLORIDA — Who can't use some extra cash at the holidays? Florida has launched its Holiday Money Hunt in an effort to connect residents with unclaimed property they don't know about that they can recover in time for Christmas.

Florida has unclaimed property accounts totaling $2.9 billion, said Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis.

He's opened the Florida Department of Financial Services, Division of Unclaimed Property's vaults, pulling out Rolex watches, diamond rings, sports photos autographed by Joe Frazier and football legend Gale Sayers, solid gold bars and antique coins and jewelry.

Unclaimed property includes dormant bank accounts, unclaimed insurance proceeds, stocks, dividends, uncashed checks, deposits, credit balances and refunds, plus the contents from abandoned safe deposit boxes in financial institutions.

Assets are held by business or government entities for a set period of time, usually five years, and if the rightful owner is not located, the property is reported and turned over to the Florida Department of Financial Services, Division of Unclaimed Property.

Since Patronis took office in 2017, more than $2.2 billion in unclaimed property has been returned to Florida residents, he said.

“I am excited to kick off the Holiday Money Hunt this holiday season and spread the word about unclaimed property in Florida," Patronis said. "During the holidays, everyone can use a little extra cash, and an unexpected check from the state of Florida may help make things a little brighter this year."

One in five Floridians has property waiting to be claimed, and residents can search FLTreasureHunt.gov to see if they have assets listed.

Florida Unclaimed Property Available By Region:

• Pensacola - $66 million available
• Panama City - $37 million available
• Tallahassee - $47 million available
• Jacksonville - $193 million available
• Gainesville - $36 million available
• Orlando - $465 million available
• Tampa/St. Pete - $610 million available
• Fort Myers/Naples - $161 million available
• West Palm Beach - $344 million available
• Miami - $1 billion available

In recognition of the Holiday Money Hunt, Patronis and the Department of Financial Services’ official social media Facebook and X accounts,@JimmyPatronis and @FLDFS, will use the hashtag #FLHolidayMoneyHunt throughout December. Residents can follow along to begin their search.