TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Does the State of Florida owe you money? It just might!
The Florida Department of Financial Services has $2.5 billion in unclaimed money sitting in an account – more than $531 million of which belongs to Tampa Bay residents.
Better Call Behnken teamed up with the state on Wednesday to help reunite viewers with that money during our 8’s Army Unclaimed Property Phone Bank. Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis joined 8 On Your Side Investigator Shannon Behnken to help assist viewers.
Patronis says one in five Floridians has unclaimed property waiting to be claimed. It can come from a variety of things, including abandoned bank accounts and forgotten utility deposits, as well as property that’s been abandoned in a safe deposit box, such as watches, jewelry, coins, currency and stamps.
Here’s a county-by-county breakdown of the unclaimed property available in Tampa Bay:
- Citrus $12.54 million
- Hardee $1.94 million
- Hernando $17.14 million
- Highlands $10.25 million
- Hillsborough $164.79 million
- Manatee $38.3 million
- Pasco $44.6 million
- Pinellas $137.65 million
- Polk $52.84 million
- Sarasota $51.49 million
If you missed Wednesday’s phone bank, you can still check to see if Florida owes you money.
- Go to www.fltreasurehunt.gov and enter in your information.
- Fill out and sign your claim form. You must provide a copy of your current identification reflecting your current mailing address and documentation proving your ownership of the account. Be sure to read carefully.
- Mail the completed claim form with the required documentation to the address indicated on the form.
