The Florida Senate

197.582  Disbursement of proceeds of sale.--

(1)  If the property is purchased by any person other than the certificateholder, the clerk shall forthwith pay to the certificateholder all of the sums he or she has paid, including the amount required for the redemption of the certificate or certificates together with any and all subsequent unpaid taxes plus the costs and expenses of the application for deed, with interest on the total of such sums for the period running from the month after the date of application for the deed through the month of sale at the rate of 1.5 percent per month. The clerk shall distribute the amount required to redeem the certificate or certificates and the amount required for the redemption of other tax certificates on the same land with omitted taxes and with all costs, plus interest thereon at the rate of 1.5 percent per month for the period running from the month after the date of application for the deed through the month of sale, in the same manner as he or she distributes money received for the redemption of tax certificates owned by the county.

(2)  If the property is purchased for an amount in excess of the statutory bid of the certificateholder, the excess shall be paid over and disbursed by the clerk. If the property purchased is homestead property and the statutory bid includes an amount equal to at least one-half of the assessed value of the homestead, that amount shall be treated as excess and distributed in the same manner. The clerk shall distribute the excess to the governmental units for the payment of any lien of record held by a governmental unit against the property. In the event the excess is not sufficient to pay all of such liens in full, the excess shall then be paid to each governmental unit pro rata. If, after all liens of record of the governmental units upon the property are paid in full, there remains a balance of undistributed funds, the balance of the purchase price shall be retained by the clerk for the benefit of the persons described in s. 197.522(1)(a), as their interests may appear. The clerk shall mail notices to such persons notifying them of the funds held for their benefit. Any service charges, at the same rate as prescribed in s. 28.24(13), and costs of mailing notices shall be paid out of the excess balance held by the clerk. Excess proceeds shall be held and disbursed in the same manner as unclaimed redemption moneys in s. 197.473. In the event excess proceeds are not sufficient to cover the service charges and mailing costs, the clerk shall receive the total amount of excess proceeds as a service charge.

History.--s. 8, ch. 17457, 1935; CGL 1936 Supp. 999(143); s. 31, ch. 20722, 1941; ss. 1, 2, ch. 69-55; s. 1, ch. 72-268; ss. 22, 34, ch. 73-332; s. 4, ch. 77-354; s. 3, ch. 79-334; s. 6, ch. 81-284; s. 6, ch. 82-205; s. 196, ch. 85-342; s. 1030, ch. 95-147; s. 10, ch. 96-397.

Note.--Former ss. 194.22, 197.535, 197.291.