With St. Patrick’s Day being celebrated Sunday, Chief Financial Officer Jimmy "O" Patronis has opened the vault and is looking for Floridians with St. Patrick’s Day-themed names and there's truly a pot of gold for some at the end of this financial rainbow.
A bit of cavorting through Florida’s Unclaimed Property database could help someone, Irish or not, glom on to a wee bit of the more than $28 million in unclaimed property.
Patronis' office has created a list of St. Patrick’s Day-themed names and Floridians with names including words like Green, Lucky, Gold and more could find a tidy sum in that database.
If any of the words are in a person's surname or business name, they are encouraged to search for unclaimed property at FLTreasureHunt.gov.
The funds at stake are what is called unclaimed property and are financial assets that are unknown or lost, or have been left inactive, unclaimed or abandoned by the owner.
The most common types of unclaimed property are dormant bank accounts, unclaimed insurance proceeds, stocks, dividends, uncashed checks, deposits, credit balances and refunds. Unclaimed property also includes contents from abandoned safe deposit boxes in financial institutions.
Unclaimed property assets are held by business or government entities (holders) for a set period of time, usually five years. If the holder is unable to locate, re-establish contact with the owner and return the asset, it is reported and remitted to the Florida Department of Financial Services, Division of Unclaimed Property.
To search for unclaimed property or to claim an account, go online to FLTreasureHunt.gov.
Since 2017 more than $2.3 billion has been returned to Floridians in unclaimed property.
Affix a shamrock to your lapel and dive right in the following St. Patrick’s-themed names and dollar amounts available per name:
- Green
• 104,590 Accounts• $12.9 Million Available
- Gold
• 61,571 Accounts• $9.3 Million Available
- Patrick
• 17,530 Accounts• $1.7 Million Available
- Saint
• 20,251 Accounts• $1.5 Million Available
- Luck
• 7,247 Accounts• $1 Million Available
- Ireland
• 1,854 Accounts• $411,571 Available
- Emerald
• 1,684 Accounts• $372,849 Available
- Leaf
• 1,660 Accounts• $208,554 Available
- Rainbow
• 1,178 Accounts• $173,618 Available
- Irish
• 922 Accounts• $134,427K Available
- Clover
• 607 Accounts• $69,406 Available
AND CLOSER TO HOME:
The Lee County Clerk’s Finance office has $381,356.92 waiting to be claimed by citizens and businesses, according to a report released by Clerk and Comptroller Kevin Karnes. They have until March 29 to claim those funds issued in 2022.
There are more than 1,500 people and businesses on the list who are owed money. Visit www.leeclerk.org/treasurehunt to search for names or download the full list.
The report includes uncashed checks for County and Clerk vendors, tax deed payments and foreclosure auction transactions. Court registry payments and overpayments for recorded documents, such as mortgages or deeds, are also included. Additionally, there are funds to be claimed from the civil registry, which includes foreclosure surplus proceeds, non-resident cost bonds and garnishment deposits.
The claims range from $0.01 to $49,123.56, with $228.77 being the average.
Instructions on how to claim the funds are available on the Clerk’s website. Completed and notarized unclaimed monies forms may be dropped off at the Clerk’s Finance Department, 2115 Second Street, 3rd Floor in Fort Myers. The office is open 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Forms can also be mailed to Lee County Clerk of the Court & Comptroller, Attn: Unclaimed Money, P.O. Box 9366, Fort Myers, FL 33902-9366.
A copy of a valid photo ID with address must be provided with the mailed form, as well as a valid W-9 for businesses. Mailed forms must be postmarked by March 29. If not claimed by the March 29 deadline, approximately $189,132.96 will be forfeited to the state.
For a list of names and complete claim requirements, please visit www.leeclerk.org/treasurehunt.
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