Florida Tax Deed Sales (FL) for 2026

Florida Tax Sale Rules Matrix

Florida’s certificate rules and tax deed rules sit side by side below, with the Florida statute behind each one.

These rules come from Florida Statutes chapter 197 (flsenate.gov, 2025 and 2026 editions), checked on October 10, 2026, and the platform count comes from county clerk pages. The statute applies in every county, but each clerk sets its own sale calendar and bidder rules.

Read the matrix as two investments. A certificate is a lien, and section 197.172 of the Florida Statutes caps its interest at 18% a year. You pay the delinquent tax in the spring sale and earn your bid rate, or at least 5% under section 197.472, if the owner redeems. A tax deed sale is a property purchase. You bid against others for the land, and the certificate holder is paid from your bid.

Tax Certificates at the Spring Sale

Florida tax certificates are sold each spring, after taxes become delinquent on April 1. The Florida Department of Revenue’s property tax information for taxpayers says certificates “will be sold on all unpaid items by June 1.” Under section 197.402, the tax collector must advertise once a week for 3 weeks first (§ 197.402(3)). Under section 197.432, bidders compete by offering “the lowest rate of interest,” in quarter-point steps, up to 18% (§ 197.432(6)). Certificates no one bids on are “struck to the county at the maximum rate,” and section 197.4725 lets anyone later buy them from the county at 1.5% a month. Homestead certificates under $250 are not auctioned (§ 197.432(4)). A holder may not contact the owner to demand payment until 2 years after April 1 of the issue year (§ 197.432(13)). A certificate expires 7 years after it is issued under section 197.482, so the holder has to apply for a deed before then.

The Florida Tax Deed Sales List and Lands Available for Taxes

Each Florida clerk publishes its own tax deed sale calendar and list, and parcels that draw no bid move to a “lands available for taxes” list. If a parcel draws no bid, the clerk moves it to the “lands available for taxes” list. For the first 90 days only the county can buy it at the opening bid. After that, anyone can (§ 197.502(7)). Three years after the parcel was offered, unsold land escheats to the county free of certificates and liens (§ 197.502(8)). Mortgage foreclosures follow a separate court process. See the Florida foreclosure process.

Surplus After a Florida Tax Deed Sale

Money above the statutory bid, plus any homestead half-value amount, is surplus (§ 197.582(2)(a)). Under section 197.582, the clerk pays recorded government liens first and mails a notice. Claimants have 120 days from that notice to file. Late claims are barred, except the owner’s. If no one claims, “there is a conclusive presumption that the legal titleholder of record” is entitled, and the clerk sends the money through Florida’s unclaimed property process (§ 197.582(9)).

Florida County Tax Deed Sales

We have county pages for the 45 counties below, each with the clerk’s verified sale details. Platform is the clerk’s tax deed sale venue.

We took each platform from the county clerk and comptroller tax deed pages (bankreoguide.com/ Florida county dataset, verified October 2026). An online platform means you register and bid on the clerk's website instead of going to the courthouse.

These platforms also come from the county clerk and comptroller tax deed pages (bankreoguide.com/ Florida county dataset, verified October 2026). For an in-person sale, plan to be there on the day with your deposit ready.

Hamilton now has its own page, linked below. The other counties in this table are not linked yet because their sale details are being verified.

These entries come from the bankreoguide.com/ Florida county dataset, verified October 2026. Until a county is verified, check its clerk's own tax deed page before you plan to bid there.