Florida is holding nearly $3 billion of your property. Here’s how to claim your share

A Reddit user tapped into a site not everyone knows about, but that leads you to something valuable — and that belongs to you.

“Hello Floridians, I just learned today about Florida’s unclaimed property website. Ran a search and found an old account worth about $30 that I’d completely forgotten about. Filed a claim online in less than 10 minutes, and fingers crossed I should get the funds in about 3 months. Obviously not a great option if you need money right now, but it could be a nice little unexpected boost.”

Florida has about $2.9 billion in outstanding unclaimed property —and it could be yours. And, no, this is not a tease for a lottery game.

About 4 million Floridians, or 1 in 5 of Florida’s 20 million people, have property waiting to be claimed. The average return per Floridian is $875, Ryan Walker, spokesman for Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Petronis, told the Miami Herald in an email.

Where does this bounty come from?

State treasury offices collect millions of dollars in unclaimed property. For whatever reason, people may not have cashed or collected payroll checks, received money from their tax returns, collected insurance proceeds or gathered the contents of safe deposit boxes and bank accounts before closing them.

“Found an unclaimed paycheck this way a couple years back, 3 months was about what I waited too. It’s a good idea to check this for every state you’ve worked in,” a Reddit user from Florida posted.

Most of the money is from dormant accounts in financial institutions, insurance and utility companies, and securities and trust holdings, according to the Florida Department of Financial Services.

Unclaimed property can also include valuables including watches, jewelry, coins, currency, stamps, historical items and miscellaneous stuff from abandoned safe deposit boxes. The Department of Financial Services periodically holds unclaimed property auctions, where abandoned safe deposit box contents are auctioned by the Division of Unclaimed Property, the state said.

“The dollar value from the sale of each item is applied to the owner’s account, where it remains, indefinitely, for the owner or the owner’s heirs to claim,” the department says on its website.

According to Florida Statute 717, these unclaimed assets must be held by business or government entities 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.

How can you collect lost Florida treasure?

▪ Check the Florida Division of Unclaimed Property website at FLTreasureHunt.gov to see if anything might be yours or a family member’s. There is no charge to search or file a claim on the site.

▪ Type your name or business name in the green search field and if any property comes up with your name attached click on the results that match your search and click an Add button to place it in a virtual cart —much like purchasing on Amazon. Follow the simple instructions to file a claim for that property.

▪ “I’m encouraging every Floridian to search now for unclaimed property for yourself, your friends, your loved ones, and even your business at FLTreasureHunt.gov. It’s your money, don’t wait, claim it today,” Petronis said on the state site.

How do you prove the money is yours to claim?

From Reddit: “Holy [expletive,] thanks OP. I put in my dad’s name and there’s almost $600 in unclaimed funds. Anyone claim for a decreased family before?”

▪ You’ll be asked to enter contact information and some identifying details like a Social Security number and your birth date. You can file a claim for a deceased person’s property if you are the heir to their estate.

▪ You will then receive an email receipt. Print it out and follow the instructions, which will include filling out the form and providing the requested documentation to prove your identity. This may include a photocopy of a driver’s license, a piece of mailing such as a utility bill or some other paperwork that shows the names and matching address of the lost property owner or owners. If one of the owners is deceased, an original death certificate will be requested.

How long does it take to receive funds?

The Department of Financial Services has 90 days once it receives your complete claim package to make a determination.

Unclaimed property returns by region

How did your region do in September?

Patronis said that $40 million in unclaimed property was returned to Floridians — individuals and businesses — during September.

The state’s Division of Unclaimed Property released the following figures from media markets around the state that reported returns of unclaimed property to the division, Walker said. So if your region isn’t included, like Broward County, chances are it did not report.

▪ Miami – $12.5 million

▪ West Palm Beach – $4.2 million

▪ Tampa/St. Petersberg – $10 million

▪ Fort Myers/Naples – $2.2 million

▪ Orlando – $6.2 million

▪ Gainesville – $694,328

▪ Pensacola – $1 million

▪ Panama City – $476,774

▪ Tallahassee – $957,586

▪ Jacksonville – $2.1 million.