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2020 Op. Fla. Att'y Gen. 1 (2020)

handle is hein.sag/sagfl0109 and id is 1 raw text is: 


                         Florida   Attorney General
                         Advisory Legal Opinion

Number: AGO  2020-01
Date: February 4, 2020
Subject: Tax deed sale funds to govt leinholders


Mr. Scott R. Harlowe
1235 SE  Indian St., Suite 101
Stuart, FL 34997-5690, Florida 34982-5652

Dear Mr. Harlowe:

On  behalf of the Clerk of the Circuit Court for St. Lucie County (Clerk), you ask the
following questions:

     1. Under section 197.582, Florida Statutes (2019), are governmental lienholders
     barred from obtaining tax deed surplus funds if they fail to submit a timely request
     for surplus funds?

     2. If a request is not required, what effect does the failure of a governmental entity
     to submit a request for surplus funds have upon the Clerk's determination of how
     the surplus funds should be distributed?


In sum:

     1. Under section 197.582:

          § a timely request for payment from surplus funds is not a prerequisite to the
          Clerk's obligation to distribute the surplus to the governmental units for the
          payment of any lien of record held by a governmental unit against the
          property, including any tax certificates not incorporated in the tax deed
          application and omitted taxes, if any, prior to distributing the balance of
          undistributed funds to other persons specified in section 197.582;

          § a non-governmental unit holder of any recorded governmental lien (other
          than a federal government lien or ad valorem tax lien) is barred from obtaining
          tax deed surplus funds if such lienholder fails to submit a timely written claim
          for surplus funds.


     2. Because governmental  units holding liens of record... against the property are
     not required to submit a request for surplus funds, the Clerk is required to distribute
     funds to governmental units holding such liens before disbursing the balance of

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