State Unclaimed Property in Florida

State Unclaimed Property in Florida: key facts

Administering office

Florida Department of Financial Services, Division of Unclaimed Property, 200 East Gaines Street, Tallahassee, FL 32399-0358.

Official search

fltreasurehunt.gov — free search and online claim initiation, available at no cost to owners and heirs.

Heir claim documents

A certified copy of the death certificate, plus — if the estate is open — court records certified within the past year showing the personal representative's authority, or — if the estate is closed — a certified probate court order identifying the beneficiaries and each one's share. A will standing alone is never sufficient. Every claimant also submits photo identification and a signed claim form.

Small estate accounts (no probate order)

Under Fla. Stat. 717.1243, beneficiaries may claim without a probate court order by filing Form DFS-UP-1243 (Estate Affidavit) signed by all beneficiaries, where all property the Department holds for the owner totals $20,000 or less and no probate proceeding is pending. The affidavit states that the beneficiaries have amicably agreed on a division of the estate and that funeral expenses, expenses of the last illness, and other lawful claims have been paid. A copy of the will is filed if the owner died testate. No partial payments are made.

Claim processing time

The Department is allotted up to 90 days from the date it receives a complete claim package to make a determination, extendable by 60 days for good cause or in specified cases (bankruptcy, foreign address, non-English documents).

Governing law: Fla. Stat. Chapter 717 (Disposition of Unclaimed Property); § 717.124 (claims); § 717.1243 (small estate accounts); Fla. Admin. Code R. 69G-20.0022