Winning the bid is the easy part. The county wants the money on its schedule, and the schedule is short.
Register first
Every county auction site makes you register before you can bid. Registration takes a day or two, so do it before the sale you care about, not the morning of.
The deposit
Most counties want a deposit on the auction site before you can bid. The common rule is 5 percent of your top expected bid, or a fixed amount around $200, whichever is more. The deposit goes on the site by wire or online payment, sometimes by cashier's check at the clerk's office. If you do not win, it comes back. If you win, it counts toward your total.
The balance
After you win, the clock starts. Rules by county vary, and the county's page is the only place to read the real rule, but the typical version looks like this:
- Tax deed: the full balance plus documentary stamp tax and recording fees, by a set time the next business day, sometimes the same day.
- Foreclosure: the full balance plus the clerk's fee and doc stamps, by a set time the next business day. Some counties also require the deposit to be topped up to 5 percent of the winning bid right after the sale.
Payment is by wire, cashier's check, or the auction site's own payment method. A personal check is not accepted anywhere.
See the numbers
| Deposit, before you bid | $2,600 |
| Balance, next business day | $49,400 |
| Doc stamps, 70 cents per $100 | $364 |
Source: The rules in this post; $52,000 is the middle winning bid on a tax deed home in the last 90 days. Each county's own page sets its real rule · As of October 29, 2026
If you miss it
You lose the deposit. The county keeps it and puts the property up again. On a foreclosure, the court can also hold you responsible for any drop in price at the resale. Some counties bar bidders who default from future sales. This is not a place to bid with money you do not have in the account yet.
Documentary stamps
Florida charges a transfer tax on deeds: 70 cents per $100 of the price, so $700 on a $100,000 bid. The winner pays it on top of the bid. Add it to your number before the sale.
Where redemption fits
On a tax deed, the owner can pay up until your full payment reaches the clerk. Paying fast closes that window. Read redemption in Florida.
The GovDeed parcel page links to the county's own auction page, and that page has the deposit and payment rules for that county. Read them before every sale, since counties change them.