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The Florida Senate

2020 Florida Statutes

Title XL REAL AND PERSONAL PROPERTY
Chapter 717 DISPOSITION OF UNCLAIMED PROPERTY Entire Chapter
SECTION 135
Power of attorney to recover reported property in the custody of the department.
F.S. 717.135
717.135 Power of attorney to recover reported property in the custody of the department.—
(1) A power of attorney executed by a claimant to a claimant’s representative for compensation to recover or assist in the recovery of property reported to the department under s. 717.117 shall be in 10-point type or greater.
(2) A power of attorney described in subsection (1) must:
(a) Limit the fees and costs for services to 20 percent per unclaimed property account held by the department. Fees and costs for cash accounts shall be based on the value of the property at the time the power of attorney is signed by the claimant. Fees and costs for accounts containing securities or other intangible ownership interests, which securities or interests are not converted to cash, shall be based on the purchase price of the security as quoted on a national exchange or other market on which the property is regularly traded at the time the securities or other ownership interest is remitted to the claimant or the claimant’s representative. Fees and costs for tangible property or safe-deposit box accounts shall be based on the value of the tangible property or contents of the safe-deposit box at the time the ownership interest is transferred or remitted to the claimant. Total fees and costs on any single account owned by a natural person residing in this country must not exceed $1,000; or
(b) Fully disclose that the property is held by the Division of Unclaimed Property of the Department of Financial Services pursuant to this chapter, the mailing address of the division, the Internet address of the division, the person or name of the entity that held the property before the property became unclaimed, the date of the holder’s last contact with the owner, if known, and the approximate value of the property, and identify which of the following categories of unclaimed property the claimant’s representative is seeking to recover, as reported by the holder:
1. Cash accounts.
2. Stale dated checks.
3. Life insurance or annuity contract assets.
4. Utility deposits.
5. Securities or other interests in business associations.
6. Wages.
7. Accounts receivable.
8. Contents of safe-deposit boxes.
(3)(a) Before executing a power of attorney described in paragraph (2)(b), the claimant’s representative must obtain a signed acknowledgment from the claimant that states in 12-point type or greater in the order indicated with the blank spaces accurately completed:

FULL DISCLOSURE STATEMENT

The property is currently held by the State of Florida Department of Financial Services, Division of Unclaimed Property, pursuant to chapter 717, Florida Statutes. The mailing address of the Division of Unclaimed Property is    . The Internet address of the Division of Unclaimed Property is    .

The property was remitted by:    .

Date of last contact:    .

Property category:    .

(b) The acknowledgment required by paragraph (a) must be on a document separate from the power of attorney described in paragraph (2)(b).
(c) Immediately above the signature line for the claimant, an acknowledgment described in paragraph (a) must state in 12-point type or greater:

Claimant agrees, by signing below, that the FULL DISCLOSURE STATEMENT has been read and fully understood.

(4)(a) Powers of attorney for recovery of cash accounts shall state the value of the unclaimed property, the unclaimed property account number, and the percentage value of the unclaimed property account to be paid to the claimant and shall also state the percentage value of compensation to be paid to the claimant’s representative, if applicable.
(b) Powers of attorney for recovery of accounts containing securities, safe-deposit box accounts, other intangible or tangible ownership interests, or other types of accounts, except cash accounts, shall state the unclaimed property account number, the number of shares of stock, if applicable, the approximate value of the unclaimed property, and the percentage value of compensation to be paid to the claimant’s representative, if applicable.
(c) All powers of attorney shall include:
1. The name and professional license number of the claimant’s representative.
2. The name, address, and telephone number of the claimant’s representative’s firm or employer.
3. The name, address, and telephone number of the claimant.
4. If applicable, the taxpayer identification number or social security number, address, and telephone number of the claimant.
5. The name and address to whom the warrant is to be issued, if different than the claimant’s name and address.
(d) The original of all such disclosures and powers of attorney shall be signed and dated by the claimant of the property and shall be filed with the claim form.
(e) All powers of attorney executed by a claimant to a claimant’s representative for compensation to recover or assist in the recovery of property reported to the department under s. 717.117 must use the following form on 8 and 1/2-inch by 11-inch paper or on 8 and 1/2-inch by 14-inch paper with all of the text on one side of the paper and with the other side of the paper left blank. The power of attorney must be accurately completed and executed. The title of the power of attorney shall be in bold 14-point type or greater and underlined. Except as otherwise provided in this section, the rest of the power of attorney shall be in 10-point type or greater. All unclaimed property accounts claimed must be identified on the power of attorney by account number. The power of attorney must state in bold 12-point type or greater at the top of the power of attorney in the order indicated:

LIMITED POWER OF ATTORNEY

$   = Approximate Dollar Value of the Property

   = Number of Shares of Stock to be Recovered (If Applicable)

   Percent to be Paid as Compensation to the Claimant’s Representative

$   = Amount to be Paid to Claimant’s Representative

$   = Net Amount to be Paid to Claimant

Property Account Numbers:   

(f) All fees, whether expressed as a percentage or as a flat fee, are subject to the limitations and requirements of subsection (2).
(g) This section does not prohibit the:
1. Use of bolding, italics, print of different colors, and text borders as a means of highlighting or stressing certain selected items within the text.
2. Placement of the name, address, and telephone number of the representative’s firm or company in the top margin above the words “POWER OF ATTORNEY.” No additional writing of any kind may be placed in the top margin including, but not limited to, logos, license numbers, Internet addresses, or slogans.
3. Placement of the word “pending” prior to the words “NET AMOUNT TO BE PAID TO CLAIMANT,” if it is not yet possible to determine the percentage interest of an heir or legatee prior to a determination on the issue by the probate court.
4. Deletion of the words “Number of Shares of Stock (If Applicable)” if the agreement does not relate to the recovery of securities.
(5) A fee for the recovery of unclaimed property may not exceed the amount allowed under paragraph (2)(a) unless the full disclosure statement specified in paragraphs (2)(b) and (3)(a) is provided to and signed by the claimant on the face of the initial agreement of representation. Any other agreement or authorization that predates the limited power of attorney authorized by this chapter and that is not submitted with the original claim is void.
(6) As used in this section, “claimant” means the person on whose behalf a claim is filed.
(7) This section does not supersede the licensing requirements of chapter 493.
History.—s. 36, ch. 87-105; s. 1, ch. 91-261; s. 2, ch. 94-191; s. 22, ch. 96-301; s. 30, ch. 2001-36; s. 1889, ch. 2003-261; s. 139, ch. 2004-390; s. 22, ch. 2005-163; s. 7, ch. 2016-90; s. 42, ch. 2016-165.