Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater’s Bureau of Unclaimed Property returned more than $199,319 to 797 consumers during a recent phone bank event for South Florida and Treasure Coast residents. In the 12 hours after the phone bank ended, the Unclaimed Property website had 6,949 visits.
“During tough economic times, every extra dollar back in the hands of Floridians can make a big difference financially,” said Atwater. “I am proud of my staff at the Bureau of Unclaimed Property that 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 South Florida as of November 2012 included:
Indian River County 68,804 accounts $8,571,190
Martin County 133,235 accounts $15,775,839
Okeechobee County 16,270 accounts $1,643,181
Palm Beach County 905,403 accounts $124,455,931
St. Lucie County 154,590 accounts $16,367,786.
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.
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.