Fla. Stat. § 197.402

This is the official text of Fla. Stat. § 197.402, part of Florida’s Stat — part of the compiled statutory law of Florida, published by the state as "Stat." Browse the sections below, each linked to its official government source.

Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.

197.402 Advertisement of real or personal property with delinquent taxes.

Official statutory text

(1) If advertisements are required, the board of county commissioners shall make such notice as provided in chapter 50. The tax collector shall pay all charges, and the proportionate cost of the advertisements shall be added to the delinquent taxes collected.

(2) Within 45 days after the personal property taxes become delinquent, the tax collector shall advertise a list of the names of delinquent personal property taxpayers and the amount of tax due by each. The advertisement shall include a notice that all personal property taxes are drawing interest at the rate of 18 percent per year and that, unless the delinquent taxes are paid, warrants will be issued thereon pursuant to s. 197.413 and the tax collector will apply to the circuit court for an order directing levy upon and seizure of the personal property of the taxpayer for the unpaid taxes.

(3) Except as provided in s. 197.432(4), on or before June 1 or the 60th day after the date of delinquency, whichever is later, the tax collector shall advertise once each week for 3 weeks and shall sell tax certificates on all real property having delinquent taxes. If the deadline falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, it is extended to the next working day. The tax collector shall make a list of such properties in the same order in which the property was assessed, specifying the amount due on each parcel, including interest at the rate of 18 percent per year from the date of delinquency to the date of sale; the cost of advertising; and the expense of sale. For sales that commence on or after June 1, all certificates shall be issued effective as of the date of the first day of the sale, and the interest to be paid to the certificateholder shall include the month of June.

(4) All advertisements shall be in the form prescribed by the department.

History: s. 166, ch. 85-342; s. 55, ch. 94-353; s. 1478, ch. 95-147; s. 1, ch. 2005-220; s. 29, ch. 2010-5; s. 32, ch. 2011-151; s. 20, ch. 2021-17.

Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site

Need a lawyer in Florida?

Find a Florida lawyer
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the Open US Law dataset (Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine (Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.