A tax deed sale is the county selling a property because the taxes on it were not paid. It sounds simple. It is, once you know the order things happen in.
1. The tax bill goes unpaid
Property taxes in Florida are due by March 31. If they are not paid, the county tax collector sells a tax certificate on that property in late May or June. An investor buys the certificate, pays the taxes for the owner, and earns interest until the owner pays it back.
2. Two years pass
A certificate holder has to wait. Two years after April 1 of the year the certificate was sold, they can apply for a tax deed. To apply they pay off every other certificate on the property, plus the cost of the sale. That total becomes the opening bid.
3. The clerk sets a sale
The Clerk of Court schedules an online auction, usually a month or more out. The clerk mails notice to the owner and to every lienholder on record. The sheriff posts notice on the property. This is the list GovDeed reads every night.
See the numbers
| September | 1,729 |
| October | 2,038 |
| November (so far) | 1,536 |
Source: GovDeed, from county clerk sale results and the Florida Department of Revenue property roll · As of October 29, 2026
4. Anyone can pay up, until the money lands
The owner, or anyone with an interest in the property, can pay everything owed and stop the sale. This is called redemption. In Florida it works right up until the winning bidder's full payment reaches the clerk, and not one minute after. Florida Statute 197.472 says so. That is why parcels vanish from a sale day: someone paid.
5. The auction
Bidding starts at the amount owed plus costs. On a homestead property the opening bid also includes half the assessed value. The high bidder pays a deposit right away and the rest within a day or so, depending on the county. Then the clerk issues a tax deed.
6. After the deed
There is no getting the property back after the deed issues. A former owner can only challenge the sale for a mistake in the process, and after four years even that door closes. Any money above what was owed goes to the lienholders, then to the former owner.
What the deed does and does not do
A tax deed usually wipes out mortgages. Some government liens can survive. The deed also does not come with title insurance. To sell the house to a normal buyer you will want a quiet title action or a title certification first. Read what survives and quiet title before you bid.
Every step above shows up on the parcel page: the sale date, the opening bid, the assessed value, and a link to the county record. Look at what is coming up.