Plain words
How a Florida sale works
Two kinds of sale, two sets of rules. Both are run by the county clerk, both are public, and in both the owner can stop the sale until the last moment.
Tax deed
The county sells a house for the taxes owed on it.
- 1
Taxes go unpaid
When a property's taxes are not paid, the county sells a tax certificate to an investor who pays the taxes and earns interest.
- 2
Two years pass
After two years from April 1 of the year the certificate was sold, the certificate holder can apply for a tax deed. They pay off every other certificate and the costs of the sale.
- 3
The clerk sets a sale
The Clerk of Court schedules an online auction, usually a month or more out, and mails notice to the owner and every lienholder. That list is what you see here.
- 4
Anyone can redeem, until the money lands
The owner or anyone with an interest can pay everything owed and stop the sale, right up until the winning bidder's full payment reaches the clerk. That is why parcels disappear from a sale day.
- 5
The auction
Bidding opens at the amount owed plus costs. On a homestead property the opening bid also includes half the assessed value. The high bidder pays in full, usually within a day, and gets a tax deed.
- 6
After the deed
In Florida there is no getting the property back after the deed issues. A former owner can only challenge the sale for procedural defects, and after four years even that door closes. Any money above what was owed goes to lienholders, then the former owner.
- Paid off before the sale (redeemed)1,624 · 44%
- Sold to an outside bidder736 · 20%
- Canceled or pulled235 · 6%
- No bid, struck to the county or certificate holder76 · 2%
- Result not read yet992 · 27%
See the numbers
| Paid off before the sale (redeemed) | 1,624 (44%) |
| Sold to an outside bidder | 736 (20%) |
| Canceled or pulled | 235 (6%) |
| No bid, struck to the county or certificate holder | 76 (2%) |
| Result not read yet | 992 (27%) |
Source: GovDeed, from county clerk sale results and the Florida Department of Revenue property roll · As of October 29, 2026
See the numbers
| Tax deed | 51% (middle half 33% to 69%) |
| Foreclosure | 68% (middle half 50% to 79%) |
Source: GovDeed, from county clerk sale results and the Florida Department of Revenue property roll. Homes with a county value of $40,000 to $400,000 · As of October 29, 2026
Foreclosure
A lender or an association sells a house through the court.
- 1
A lender or an association sues
A bank forecloses a mortgage. A homeowners association forecloses its lien for unpaid dues. Either way it goes through the court.
- 2
Judgment, then a sale date
The court enters a final judgment for an amount and sets a sale, typically twenty to thirty-five days later, on the clerk's online auction site.
- 3
Redemption ends at the certificate of sale
The owner can pay the full judgment and stop it any time before the clerk files the certificate of sale, which is usually the day of or the day after the auction. After that, no.
- 4
What survives
The sale wipes out liens junior to the one being foreclosed and nothing senior. If an association forecloses, the first mortgage is still there, and the buyer takes the property subject to it. Pull the title before you bid.
- 5
Certificate of title
Ten days after the sale, if nobody objects, the clerk issues a certificate of title to the high bidder.
Before you bid
The five things that go wrong.
- Title. A tax deed is not insurable on its own. Most buyers pay for a quiet title action or a title certification, which takes one to three months, before a title company will insure a resale.
- Liens that survive. Government liens can survive a tax deed. A first mortgage survives an association foreclosure. Read the title.
- Condition. Nobody has been inside. Assume the worst until you have driven past it.
- Occupants. Somebody may still live there. Getting them out is a legal process with its own timeline.
- The deposit and the clock. Every county wants a deposit to register and full payment fast, often the same day. Miss it and you lose the deposit.
This page describes Florida Statutes chapter 197 (tax deeds) and chapter 45 (judicial sales) in plain words. It is not legal advice. The county's own rules and a lawyer's reading control.