Ever since Spanish explorers landed here 500 years ago, Floridians love a good treasure hunt. Last weekend, bidders had an opportunity to help Florida’s schools by taking home some of the state’s forgotten treasure.
Tampa was the host of the 2103 Unclaimed Property Auction, where more than 300 attendees, including 220 bidders, made offers on items from abandoned safe deposit boxes at financial institutions throughout Florida. The auction, part of the Department of Financial Services Bureau of Unclaimed Property, raised more than $1.6 million for the state’s public school fund.
Some of the lost treasures sold at Saturday’s auction were a 1776 Continental note, and a gold pocket watch from 1876.
According to Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater, the public sale was the second-highest grossing event in the department’s 52-year history.
“I thank everyone who put the auction together and more importantly, to thank the team at the Bureau of Unclaimed Property who work tirelessly every day to reunite Floridians with their unclaimed dollars or property,” said Atwater, who began the event as a guest auctioneer. “It is our goal to give back to Floridians what rightfully belongs to them.”
The good thing is that you don’t have to wait 500 years find unclaimed treasure.
For anyone who has ever lived in Florida, there is a chance the state is holding unclaimed property for you. The Bureau retains abandoned accounts, currently valued at more than $1 billion. Most are coming from financial institutions, insurance and utility companies, securities and trust holdings.
In addition to money from closed accounts, the agency also holds items like watches, jewelry, coins, currency, stamps, historical items and other miscellaneous articles whose owners either have passed on or simply forgot they were there.
In his two years in office, Atwater says he has seen a massive amount of returns; more than 850,000 owners, heirs and business reclaimed lost funds and items. The highest single month was June 2011, with $24.7 million in returns.
Starting a treasure hunt for unclaimed property begins starts with a simple search on the Bureau’s website, www.fltreasurehunt.org. If they find something they think is theirs, the next step is to print and complete a claim form and mail it to the department. Claimants can also request an application form in the mail. The form will list the documentation required to authenticate a claim.
No statute of limitations exists on claiming abandoned Florida treasures, and there is no cost for returning them to certified owners.
