Florida Senate - 2017                          SENATOR AMENDMENT
       Bill No. CS for CS for SB 986
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Ì317080~Î317080                         
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
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                 Floor: WD/2R          .                                
             05/02/2017 02:58 PM       .                                
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       Senator Stargel moved the following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
    2  
    3         Between lines 1942 and 1943
    4  insert:
    5         Section 37. Section 43.19, Florida Statutes, is repealed.
    6         Section 38. Paragraph (a) of subsection (1), paragraph (f)
    7  of subsection (2), and paragraph (b) of subsection (7) of
    8  section 45.031, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
    9         45.031 Judicial sales procedure.—In any sale of real or
   10  personal property under an order or judgment, the procedures
   11  provided in this section and ss. 45.0315-45.035 may be followed
   12  as an alternative to any other sale procedure if so ordered by
   13  the court.
   14         (1) FINAL JUDGMENT.—
   15         (a) In the order or final judgment, the court shall direct
   16  the clerk to sell the property at public sale on a specified day
   17  that shall be not less than 20 days or more than 35 days after
   18  the date thereof, on terms and conditions specified in the order
   19  or judgment. A sale may be held more than 35 days after the date
   20  of final judgment or order if the plaintiff or plaintiff’s
   21  attorney consents to such time. The final judgment shall contain
   22  the following statement in conspicuous type:
   23  
   24  IF THIS PROPERTY IS SOLD AT PUBLIC AUCTION, THERE MAY BE
   25  ADDITIONAL MONEY FROM THE SALE AFTER PAYMENT OF PERSONS WHO ARE
   26  ENTITLED TO BE PAID FROM THE SALE PROCEEDS PURSUANT TO THIS
   27  FINAL JUDGMENT.
   28  
   29  IF YOU ARE A SUBORDINATE LIENHOLDER CLAIMING A RIGHT TO FUNDS
   30  REMAINING AFTER THE SALE, IF ANY, YOU MUST FILE A CLAIM WITH THE
   31  CLERK NO LATER THAN THE DATE THAT THE CLERK REPORTS THE FUNDS AS
   32  UNCLAIMED 60 DAYS AFTER THE SALE. IF YOU FAIL TO FILE A TIMELY
   33  CLAIM, YOU WILL NOT BE ENTITLED TO ANY REMAINING FUNDS.
   34         (2) PUBLICATION OF SALE.—Notice of sale shall be published
   35  once a week for 2 consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general
   36  circulation, as defined in chapter 50, published in the county
   37  where the sale is to be held. The second publication shall be at
   38  least 5 days before the sale. The notice shall contain:
   39         (f) A statement that any person claiming an interest in the
   40  surplus from the sale, if any, other than the property owner as
   41  of the date of the lis pendens must file a claim before the
   42  clerk reports the surplus as unclaimed within 60 days after the
   43  sale.
   44  
   45  The court, in its discretion, may enlarge the time of the sale.
   46  Notice of the changed time of sale shall be published as
   47  provided herein.
   48         (7) DISBURSEMENTS OF PROCEEDS.—
   49         (b) The certificate of disbursements shall be in
   50  substantially the following form:
   51  
   52  (Caption of Action)
   53  
   54                    CERTIFICATE OF DISBURSEMENTS                   
   55  
   56         The undersigned clerk of the court certifies that he or she
   57  disbursed the proceeds received from the sale of the property as
   58  provided in the order or final judgment to the persons and in
   59  the amounts as follows:
   60  Name                                                      Amount
   61  
   62                     Total disbursements: $....                    
   63              Surplus retained by clerk, if any: $....             
   64  
   65  IF YOU ARE A PERSON CLAIMING A RIGHT TO FUNDS REMAINING AFTER
   66  THE SALE, YOU MUST FILE A CLAIM WITH THE CLERK NO LATER THAN THE
   67  DATE THAT THE CLERK REPORTS THE FUNDS AS UNCLAIMED 60 DAYS AFTER
   68  THE SALE. IF YOU FAIL TO FILE A CLAIM, YOU WILL NOT BE ENTITLED
   69  TO ANY REMAINING FUNDS. AFTER THE FUNDS ARE REPORTED AS
   70  UNCLAIMED 60 DAYS, ONLY THE OWNER OF RECORD AS OF THE DATE OF
   71  THE LIS PENDENS MAY CLAIM THE SURPLUS.
   72  
   73  WITNESS my hand and the seal of the court on ...., ...(year)....
   74  ...(Clerk)...
   75  By ...(Deputy Clerk)...
   76         Section 39. Subsection (5) of section 45.032, Florida
   77  Statutes, is renumbered as subsection (4), and paragraph (d) of
   78  subsection (1), subsection (3), and present subsection (4) of
   79  that section are amended, to read:
   80         45.032 Disbursement of surplus funds after judicial sale.—
   81         (1) For purposes of ss. 45.031-45.035, the term:
   82         (d)“Surplus trustee” means a person qualifying as a
   83  surplus trustee pursuant to s. 45.034.
   84         (3) During the period that 60 days after the clerk holds
   85  issues a certificate of disbursements, the clerk shall hold the
   86  surplus pending a court order:.
   87         (a) If the owner of record claims the surplus before the
   88  date that the clerk reports it as unclaimed during the 60-day
   89  period and there is no subordinate lienholder, the court shall
   90  order the clerk to deduct any applicable service charges from
   91  the surplus and pay the remainder to the owner of record. The
   92  clerk may establish a reasonable requirement that the owner of
   93  record prove his or her identity before receiving the
   94  disbursement. The clerk may assist an owner of record in making
   95  a claim. An owner of record may use the following form in making
   96  a claim:
   97  
   98  (Caption of Action)
   99  
  100                          OWNER’S CLAIM FOR                        
  101                    MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE SURPLUS                   
  102  
  103  State of ....
  104  County of ....
  105         Under penalty of perjury, I (we) hereby certify that:
  106         1. I was (we were) the owner of the following described
  107  real property in .... County, Florida, prior to the foreclosure
  108  sale and as of the date of the filing of the lis pendens:
  109  
  110  ...(Legal description of real property)...
  111  
  112         2. I (we) do not owe any money on any mortgage on the
  113  property that was foreclosed other than the one that was paid
  114  off by the foreclosure.
  115         3. I (we) do not owe any money that is the subject of an
  116  unpaid judgment, tax warrant, condominium lien, cooperative
  117  lien, or homeowners’ association.
  118         4. I am (we are) not currently in bankruptcy.
  119         5. I (we) have not sold or assigned my (our) right to the
  120  mortgage surplus.
  121         6. My (our) new address is: .....
  122         7. If there is more than one owner entitled to the surplus,
  123  we have agreed that the surplus should be paid .... jointly, or
  124  to: ...., at the following address: .....
  125         8. I (WE) UNDERSTAND THAT I (WE) AM (ARE) NOT REQUIRED TO
  126  HAVE A LAWYER OR ANY OTHER REPRESENTATION AND I (WE) DO NOT HAVE
  127  TO ASSIGN MY (OUR) RIGHTS TO ANYONE ELSE IN ORDER TO CLAIM ANY
  128  MONEY TO WHICH I (WE) MAY BE ENTITLED.
  129         9. I (WE) UNDERSTAND THAT THIS STATEMENT IS GIVEN UNDER
  130  OATH, AND IF ANY STATEMENTS ARE UNTRUE THAT I (WE) MAY BE
  131  PROSECUTED CRIMINALLY FOR PERJURY.
  132  
  133  ...(Signatures)...
  134  
  135         Sworn to (or affirmed) and subscribed before me this ....
  136  day of ...., ...(year)..., by ...(name of person making
  137  statement)....
  138         ...(Signature of Notary Public - State of Florida)...
  139         ...(Print, Type, or Stamp Commissioned Name of Notary
  140  Public)...
  141  
  142         Personally Known .... OR Produced Identification ....
  143         Type of Identification Produced..........................
  144         (b) If any person other than the owner of record claims an
  145  interest in the proceeds prior to the date that the clerk
  146  reports the surplus as unclaimed during the 60-day period or if
  147  the owner of record files a claim for the surplus but
  148  acknowledges that one or more other persons may be entitled to
  149  part or all of the surplus, the court shall set an evidentiary
  150  hearing to determine entitlement to the surplus. At the
  151  evidentiary hearing, an equity assignee has the burden of
  152  proving that he or she is entitled to some or all of the surplus
  153  funds. The court may grant summary judgment to a subordinate
  154  lienholder prior to or at the evidentiary hearing. The court
  155  shall consider the factors in s. 45.033 when hearing a claim
  156  that any person other than a subordinate lienholder or the owner
  157  of record is entitled to the surplus funds.
  158         (c) One year after the sale, any surplus remaining with the
  159  clerk of the court that has not been disbursed as provided
  160  herein is subject to s. 717.113 and must be reported and
  161  remitted to the department in accordance with ss. 717.117 and
  162  717.119, provided there is no pending court proceeding regarding
  163  entitlement to the surplus. At the conclusion of any court
  164  proceeding and any appeal regarding entitlement to the surplus,
  165  the clerk of the court shall report and remit the unclaimed
  166  property to the department if directed by a court order, to
  167  another entity if directed by the court order, or, if not
  168  directed by the court order, in the name of the owner of record.
  169  For purposes of establishing entitlement to the surplus after
  170  the property has been remitted to the department, only the owner
  171  of record reported by the clerk of the court, or the
  172  beneficiary, as defined in s. 731.201, of a deceased owner of
  173  record reported by the clerk, is entitled to the surplus. A
  174  surplus of less than $10 escheats to If no claim is filed during
  175  the 60-day period, the clerk shall appoint a surplus trustee
  176  from a list of qualified surplus trustees as authorized in s.
  177  45.034. Upon such appointment, the clerk shall prepare a notice
  178  of appointment of surplus trustee and shall furnish a copy to
  179  the surplus trustee. The form of the notice may be as follows:
  180  
  181  (Caption of Action)
  182  
  183                        NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT                      
  184                         OF SURPLUS TRUSTEE                        
  185  
  186         The undersigned clerk of the court certifies that he or she
  187  disbursed the proceeds received from the sale of the property as
  188  provided in the order or final judgment to the persons named in
  189  the certificate of disbursements, and that surplus funds of
  190  $.... remain and are subject to disbursement to the owner of
  191  record. You have been appointed as surplus trustee for the
  192  purpose of finding the owner of record in order for the clerk to
  193  disburse the surplus, after deducting costs, to the owner of
  194  record.
  195  WITNESS my hand and the seal of the court on ...., ...(year)....
  196  ...(Clerk)...
  197  By ...(Deputy Clerk)...
  198  
  199         (4)If the surplus trustee is unable to locate the owner of
  200  record entitled to the surplus within 1 year after appointment,
  201  the appointment shall terminate and the clerk shall notify the
  202  surplus trustee that his or her appointment was terminated.
  203  Thirty days after termination of the appointment of the surplus
  204  trustee, the clerk shall treat the remaining funds as unclaimed
  205  property to be deposited with the Chief Financial Officer
  206  pursuant to chapter 717.
  207         Section 40. Paragraph (d) of subsection (3) of section
  208  45.033, Florida Statutes, is amended, and paragraph (e) of that
  209  subsection is redesignated as paragraph (d), to read:
  210         45.033 Sale or assignment of rights to surplus funds in a
  211  property subject to foreclosure.—
  212         (3) A voluntary transfer or assignment shall be a transfer
  213  or assignment qualified under this subsection, thereby entitling
  214  the transferee or assignee to the surplus funds or a portion or
  215  percentage of the surplus funds, if:
  216         (d)The transferor or assignee is qualified as a surplus
  217  trustee, or could qualify as a surplus trustee, pursuant to s.
  218  45.034.
  219         Section 41. Section 45.034, Florida Statutes, is repealed.
  220         Section 42. Paragraphs (b) and (d) of subsection (2) of
  221  section 45.035, Florida Statutes, are amended, and paragraph (c)
  222  of that subsection is redesignated as paragraph (b), to read:
  223         45.035 Clerk’s fees.—In addition to other fees or service
  224  charges authorized by law, the clerk shall receive service
  225  charges related to the judicial sales procedure set forth in ss.
  226  45.031-45.034 and this section:
  227         (2) If there is a surplus resulting from the sale, the
  228  clerk may receive the following service charges, which shall be
  229  deducted from the surplus:
  230         (b)The clerk is entitled to a service charge of $15 for
  231  notifying a surplus trustee of his or her appointment.
  232         (d)The clerk is entitled to a service charge of $15 for
  233  appointing a surplus trustee, furnishing the surplus trustee
  234  with a copy of the final judgment and the certificate of
  235  disbursements, and disbursing to the surplus trustee the
  236  trustee’s cost advance.
  237         Section 43. Section 717.113, Florida Statutes, is amended
  238  to read:
  239         717.113 Property held by courts and public agencies.—All
  240  intangible property held for the owner by any court, government
  241  or governmental subdivision or agency, public corporation, or
  242  public authority that has not been claimed by the owner for more
  243  than 1 year after it became payable or distributable is presumed
  244  unclaimed. Except as provided in s. 45.032(3)(c), money held in
  245  the court registry and for which no court order has been issued
  246  to determine an owner does not become payable or distributable
  247  and is not subject to reporting under this chapter.
  248  Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, funds deposited
  249  in the Minerals Trust Fund pursuant to s. 377.247 are presumed
  250  unclaimed only if the funds have not been claimed by the owner
  251  for more than 5 years after the date of first production from
  252  the well.
  253         Section 44. Subsection (8) of section 717.124, Florida
  254  Statutes, is amended to read:
  255         717.124 Unclaimed property claims.—
  256         (8) This section applies to all unclaimed property reported
  257  and remitted to the Chief Financial Officer, including, but not
  258  limited to, property reported pursuant to ss. 43.19, 45.032,
  259  732.107, 733.816, and 744.534.
  260         Section 45. Section 717.138, Florida Statutes, is amended
  261  to read:
  262         717.138 Rulemaking authority.—The department shall
  263  administer and provide for the enforcement of this chapter. The
  264  department has authority to adopt rules pursuant to ss.
  265  120.536(1) and 120.54 to implement the provisions of this
  266  chapter. The department may adopt rules to allow for electronic
  267  filing of fees, forms, and reports required by this chapter. The
  268  authority to adopt rules pursuant to this chapter applies to all
  269  unclaimed property reported and remitted to the Chief Financial
  270  Officer, including, but not limited to, property reported and
  271  remitted pursuant to ss. 43.19, 45.032, 732.107, 733.816, and
  272  744.534.
  273         Section 46. Section 717.1401, Florida Statutes, is amended
  274  to read:
  275         717.1401 Repeal.—This chapter shall not repeal, but shall
  276  be additional and supplemental to the existing provisions of ss.
  277  43.18, 43.19, and 402.17 and chapter 716.
  278  
  279  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
  280  And the title is amended as follows:
  281         Delete line 169
  282  and insert:
  283         627.351, F.S.; conforming cross-references; repealing
  284         s. 43.19, F.S., relating to the disposition of certain
  285         money paid into a court which is unclaimed; amending
  286         s. 45.031, F.S.; revising the time periods within
  287         which certain persons must file claims for certain
  288         unclaimed surplus funds; amending s. 45.032, F.S.;
  289         deleting provisions defining and specifying the powers
  290         of a “surplus trustee”; authorizing specified entities
  291         to claim surplus funds that remain after a judicial
  292         sale; specifying procedures for those entities to
  293         receive such funds; specifying procedures for the
  294         clerk to use in handling surpluses that remain
  295         unclaimed; specifying the entities eligible for the
  296         surplus once the funds have been remitted to the
  297         department; conforming provisions to changes made by
  298         the act; amending s. 45.033, F.S.; conforming a
  299         provision to changes made by the act; repealing s.
  300         45.034, F.S., relating to qualifications and
  301         appointment of a surplus trustee in foreclosure
  302         actions; amending s. 45.035, F.S.; revising service
  303         charges that a clerk may receive and deduct from
  304         surplus amounts; amending s. 717.113, F.S.; exempting
  305         certain funds remaining after a judicial sale and held
  306         in a court registry from becoming payable or
  307         distributable and subject to certain reporting
  308         requirements; amending ss. 717.124, 717.138, and
  309         717.1401, F.S.; conforming cross-references; providing