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The Clerk of the Circuit Court of St. Lucie County has made and compiled a list of unclaimed monies
for the St Lucie County Board of County Commissioners. These unclaimed monies were deposited or
collected by the Clerk in his official capacity prior to January 1, 2011 and for which claim has
not been made. Persons having or claiming any interest in such funds or any portion of those funds
shall file their written claims with the St. Lucie County Clerk of the Circuit Court Finance Department,
2300 Virginia Avenue, Room 226, Fort Pierce, FL 34982 during regular business hours, 8:00am-5:00pm
Monday– Friday, on or before February 28, 2012, and shall provide sufficient proof to the Clerk of
the Circuit Court of ownership, and upon doing so shall be entitled to receive any part of the monies
so claimed. Unless claim is filed within such time as aforesaid, all claims in reference thereto shall
be remitted to the State as provided by Florida Statutes, Sections 717.113 and 717.117.
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Claimants must provide a driver’s license or valid photo identification. The Affidavit for Unclaimed
Monies Form must be completed. If mailing your claim, the claim form must be notarized and you will
need to include a copy of your driver’s license or valid photo identification. Businesses must submit
the claim form on their business letterhead and the taxpayer identification number must be listed on
the form.
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Joseph E. Smith
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St. Lucie County Clerk of Circuit Court
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Notice: Any person with a disability requiring reasonable accommodation should call
772-462-3586 (voice); 772-462-1428 (TDD); or fax a written request to 1-772-462-1614
not later than seven days prior to February 28, 2012.
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717.117 Report of unclaimed property.
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(1) Every person holding funds or other property, tangible or intangible, presumed unclaimed
and subject to custody as unclaimed property under this chapter shall report to the department
on such forms as the department may prescribe by rule. In lieu of forms, a report identifying
25 or more different apparent owners must be submitted by the holder via electronic medium as
the department may prescribe by rule. The report must include:
(a) Except for traveler’s checks and money orders, the name, social security number or taxpayer
identification number, and date of birth, if known, and last known address, if any, of each
person appearing from the records of the holder to be the owner of any property which is presumed
unclaimed and which has a value of $50 or more.
(b) For unclaimed funds which have a value of $50 or more held or owing under any life or endowment
insurance policy or annuity contract, the full name, taxpayer identification number or social
security number, date of birth, if known, and last known address of the insured or annuitant
and of the beneficiary according to records of the insurance company holding or owing the funds.
(c) For all tangible property held in a safe-deposit box or other safekeeping repository, a
description of the property and the place where the property is held and may be inspected by
the department, and any amounts owing to the holder. Contents of a safe-deposit box or other
safekeeping repository which consist of documents or writings of a private nature and which
have little or no apparent value shall not be presumed unclaimed.
(d) The nature and identifying number, if any, or description of the property and the amount
appearing from the records to be due. Items of value under $50 each may be reported in the aggregate.
(e) The date the property became payable, demandable, or returnable, and the date of the last
transaction with the apparent owner with respect to the property.
(f) Any person or business association or public corporation holding funds presumed unclaimed
and having a total value of $10 or less may file a zero balance report for that reporting period.
The balance brought forward to the new reporting period is zero.
(g) Such other information as the department may prescribe by rule as necessary for the administration
of this chapter.
(h) Credit balances, customer overpayments, security deposits, and refunds having a value of less than
$10 shall not be presumed unclaimed.
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(2) If the holder of property presumed unclaimed and subject to custody as unclaimed property
is a successor holder or if the holder has changed the holder’s name while in possession of
the property, the holder shall file with the holder’s report all known names and addresses of
each prior holder of the property. Compliance with this subsection means the holder exercises
reasonable and prudent efforts to determine the names of all prior holders.
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(3) The report must be filed before May 1 of each year. The report shall apply to the
preceding calendar year. The department may impose and collect a penalty of $10 per day up
to a maximum of $500 for the failure to timely report or the failure to include in a report
information required by this chapter. The penalty shall be remitted to the department within
30 days after the date of the notification to the holder that the penalty is due and owing.
As necessary for proper administration of this chapter, the department may waive any penalty
due with appropriate justification. On written request by any person required to file a report
and upon a showing of good cause, the department may postpone the reporting date. The department
must provide information contained in a report filed with the department to any person requesting
a copy of the report or information contained in a report, to the extent the information requested
is not confidential, within 45 days after the report has been processed and added to the
unclaimed property database subsequent to a determination that the report is accurate and that
the reported property is the same as the remitted property.
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(4) Holders of inactive accounts having a value of $50 or more shall use due diligence
to locate apparent owners. Not more than 120 days and not less than 60 days prior to
filing the report required by this section, the holder in possession of property presumed
unclaimed and subject to custody as unclaimed property under this chapter shall send
written notice to the apparent owner at the apparent owner’s last known address informing
the apparent owner that the holder is in possession of property subject to this chapter,
if the holder has in its records an address for the apparent owner which the holder’s
records do not disclose to be inaccurate.
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(5) Any holder of intangible property may file with the department a petition for
determination that the property is unclaimed requesting the department to accept custody
of the property. The petition shall state any special circumstances that exist, contain
the information required by subsection (2), and show that a diligent search has been made
to locate the owner. If the department finds that the proof of diligent search is satisfactory,
it shall give notice as provided in s. 717.118 and accept custody of the property.
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(6) Upon written request by any entity or person required to file a report, stating such entity’s
or person’s justification for such action, the department may place that entity or person in an
inactive status as an unclaimed property “holder.”
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(7)(a) This section does not apply to the unclaimed patronage refunds as provided for by contract or
through bylaw provisions of entities organized under chapter 425.
(b) This section does not apply to intangible property held, issued, or owing by a business association
subject to the jurisdiction of the United States Surface Transportation Board or its successor federal
agency if the apparent owner of such intangible property is a business association. The holder of such
property does not have any obligation to report, to pay, or to deliver such property to the department.
(c) This section does not apply to credit balances, overpayments, refunds, or outstanding checks owed
by a health care provider to a managed care payor with whom the health care provider has a managed
care contract, provided that the credit balances, overpayments, refunds, or outstanding checks become
due and owing pursuant to the managed care contract.
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(8)(a) As used in this subsection, the term “property identifier” means the descriptor used by
the holder to identify the unclaimed property.
(b) Social security numbers and property identifiers contained in reports required under this section,
held by the department, are confidential and exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the
State Constitution.
(c) Social security numbers shall be released, for the limited purpose of locating owners of abandoned
or unclaimed property, to a person registered with the department under this chapter who is an attorney,
Florida-certified public accountant, private investigator who is duly licensed in this state, or a private
investigative agency licensed under chapter 493.
(d) This exemption applies to social security numbers and property identifiers held by the department
before, on, or after the effective date of this exemption.
(e) This subsection is subject to the Open Government Sunset Review Act in accordance with s. 119.15, and
shall stand repealed October 2, 2012, unless reviewed and saved from repeal through reenactment by the
Legislature.
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