Terms Used In Florida Statutes 197.4725

  • Deed: The legal instrument used to transfer title in real property from one person to another.
  • person: includes individuals, children, firms, associations, joint adventures, partnerships, estates, trusts, business trusts, syndicates, fiduciaries, corporations, and all other groups or combinations. See Florida Statutes 1.01
  • Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
  • Tax certificate: means a paper or electronic legal document, representing unpaid delinquent real property taxes, non-ad valorem assessments, including special assessments, interest, and related costs and charges, issued in accordance with this chapter against a specific parcel of real property and becoming a first lien thereon, superior to all other liens, except as provided by…. See Florida Statutes 197.102

(1) Any person may purchase a county-held tax certificate at any time after the tax certificate is issued and before a tax deed application is made. The person purchasing a county-held tax certificate shall pay to the tax collector the face amount plus all interest, costs, and charges or, subject to s. 197.472(4), the part described in the tax certificate.
(2) If a county-held tax certificate is purchased, the interest earned shall be calculated at 1.5 percent per month, or a fraction thereof, to the date of purchase.
(3) The tax collector shall receive a fee of $6.25 for each county-held tax certificate purchased.
(4) This section does not apply to collections relating to fee timeshare real property made pursuant to s. 192.037.
(5) The tax collector may use electronic means to make known county-held tax certificates that are available for purchase and to complete the purchase. The tax collector may charge a reasonable fee for costs incurred in providing such electronic services.
(6) The purchaser of a county-held tax certificate shall be issued a tax certificate with a face value that includes all sums paid to acquire the certificate from the county, including accrued interest and charges paid under this section. The date the county-held certificate was issued is the date for use in determining the date on which an application for tax deed may be made. The date that the new certificate is purchased is the date for use in calculating the interest or minimum interest due if the certificate is redeemed.