TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - With the holiday season just beginning, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis is encouraging Floridians to join his Holiday Money Hunt and search to see if you or your business has Unclaimed Property in Florida. CFO Patronis is launching the Holiday Money Hunt this holiday season to spread the word and help Floridians recover and claim cash that has been unknown or lost. Currently, Florida has $2 billion in Unclaimed Property and CFO Patronis is on a mission to return every last cent back to its rightful owners. Since CFO Patronis took office in 2017, he has returned more than $1 billion back to Floridians. Follow along this month on Twitter and use the hashtag #FLHolidayMoneyHunt with CFO Patronis as he promotes the Holiday Money Hunt.

CFO Jimmy Patronis said, “I am so excited to launch the Holiday Money Hunt this holiday season and spread the word about Unclaimed Property in Florida. With the holiday season being an expensive time of year, we could all use a little extra spending money and now is the perfect time to search and see if you or anyone you know has Unclaimed Property in Florida. This year has been a very difficult year for most, and my goal in doing this is to spread a little holiday cheer by helping Floridians find cash they didn’t know they had. I am going to be working throughout the month to get the word out about Unclaimed Property and I hope you take advantage of this great opportunity. One in five Floridians has Unclaimed Property just waiting to be claimed and it only takes a few minutes to search now by visiting FLTreasureHunt.gov."

Unclaimed Property is a financial asset that is unknown or lost, or has been left inactive, unclaimed or abandoned by its 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.

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About CFO Jimmy Patronis Chief Financial Officer and State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis is a statewide elected official and a member of Florida’s Cabinet who oversees the Department of Financial Services. CFO Patronis works each day to fight insurance fraud, support Florida’s firefighters, and ensure the state’s finances are stable to support economic growth in the state. Follow the activities of the Department on Facebook (FLDFS) and Twitter (@FLDFS).