Jimmy Patronis delivers $426M in unclaimed property to Floridians

Jimmy Patronis gets Trump's 'Full and Complete Endorsement' for congress.

Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis announced nearly $426 million in unclaimed money was returned to Floridians in 2024. That includes more than $30 million given back in December alone.

“What better way to kick off 2025 than to put extra cash in your pocket, or perhaps even pay off some of those holiday bills,” Patronis said. “Start the New Year right by searching for your friends, family, and even your business just by visiting FLTreasureHunt.gov. It’s estimated that one in five Floridians has unclaimed property just waiting to be claimed, with an average claim of $825. Don’t delay — start your treasure hunt today.”

The website Florida’s Treasure Hunt had been run for years by the Florida Department of Financial Services as a means for the public to find unclaimed property in their names. That includes money in dormant bank accounts, unclaimed insurance proceeds, stocks, dividends, uncashed checks, deposits, credit balances and refunds.

Since Patronis was first appointed as Chief Financial Officer in 2017, nearly $2.7 billion has been returned to the public, according to the state agency.

The December returns came as Patronis runs for Congress in Florida’s 1st Congressional District, where he has President-elect Donald Trump’s endorsement. He is one of 10 Republicans qualified for the Jan. 28 Primary ballot in the fight to succeed former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz.

Located in the Panhandle and anchored by Pensacola, CD 1 is one of the most conservative districts in the state. Gaetz was elected to the seat in 2016, winning more than 69% of the vote. This year, he won with 66% of the vote. More than 53% of the electorate is registered as a Republican, according to the most recent L2 voter data. Only 22% of the district’s voters are registered as Democrats.

But of course, the $30 million returned by the CFO office in December went to constituents across the state. That included $619,189 to the Pensacola market; $531,408 to Panama City; $847,815 to Tallahassee; $2.2 million to Jacksonville; $415,295 to Gainesville; $5.9 million to Orlando; $4.8 million to Tampa/St. Pete; $1.8 million to Fort Myers/Naples; $4.8 million to West Palm Beach; and $8.7 million to Miami.