Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater’s Bureau of Unclaimed Property has close to $30-million it is looking to return to Northwest Florida.
"During tough economic times, every extra dollar back in the hands of Floridians can make a big difference financially," said Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater. "I am proud of my staff at the Bureau of Unclaimed Property who works every day to reunite Floridians with the money that rightfully belongs to them. Through partnerships with the media we can continue to spread the word about our unclaimed property database."
Since taking office in January 2011, CFO Atwater has returned more than $375 million to Floridians.
Unclaimed Property accounts and values for Northwest Florida are:
Santa Rosa County 73,647 accounts $4,779,283
Escambia County 196,930 accounts $15,668,120
Okaloosa County 107,495 accounts $8,592,301
The Unclaimed Property database also contains accounts for local governments, school districts and law enforcement agencies.
Currently, the Chief Financial Officer holds unclaimed property accounts valued at more than $1 billion, mostly from dormant accounts in financial institutions, insurance and utility companies, securities and trust holdings. In addition to money and securities, unclaimed property includes tangible property such as watches, jewelry, coins, currency, stamps, historical items and other miscellaneous articles from abandoned safe deposit boxes.
Unclaimed money is deposited into the state school fund, where it is used for public education. There is, however, no statute of limitations, and citizens have the right to claim their property at any time at no cost.
Consumers can search for Unclaimed Property by accessing the Department’s website at www.FLTreasureHunt.org or by calling (888) 258-2253 or (850) 413-5555.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: $30-Million: Is any yours?