Volume 1 Number 50
December 13, 2004










TEXT VERSION

To find out if cash or property is being held for you or if you are an heir to unclaimed property, log on to www.fltreasurehunt.org and enter your information into the easy-to-use online claim form.  Floridians may also call our toll-free number at 1-88-VALUABLE.  Claims are processed as quickly as possible, with most paid within 60 days. 

Would discovering lost cash or property be a welcome surprise this holiday season?  I am inviting Floridians to find out if the state is holding cash or valuables that could rightfully belong to them.

It is easy to check to see if you or a loved one may be entitled to claim lost treasure. With the money you claim you can mark the giving season by donating to charity, helping out a special friend or just by spending a little extra for your family. 

The Department of Financial Services is responsible for property turned over to the state when owners cannot be found. A majority of cash and items held by the state come from abandoned bank accounts and safe deposit boxes in Florida banks and credit unions. In addition, cash may be available from utility deposits, insurance refunds and stock payments. Florida law requires financial institutions to remit property that is unclaimed to the state after three years.

Property that is valuable, such as jewelry, coin collections or antiques, is typically held by the state for two to three years, after which it is auctioned.  The proceeds are held indefinitely until the owner is found and able to collect. 

The state is currently holding more than five million accounts worth over $1 billion. These accounts are waiting to be claimed and no fee is ever charged to collect.

Funds turned over to the state and money collected from auctioning valuable items are deposited into the State School Trust Fund, a trust fund managed by the Department of Education benefiting Florida’s schools. Many schools have used these dollars to fund reading and mentoring initiatives as well as to buy needed supplies.

To search for unclaimed property, you should log on to www.fltreasurehunt.org or call 1-88-VALUABLE.

My best,

The skyline for December is downtown Gainesville, featuring the Hippodrome Theater, originally the post office.
 


 

 


Marines happily loaded a truck full of toys donated by employees.

CFO Gallagher, Laura and Charley present the toys to the Marines on behalf of the Department of Financial Services.

DFS EMPLOYEES DONATE MORE THAN 1,000 TOYS TO BIG BEND ‘TOYS FOR TOTS’

Bicycles, games, teddy bears, dolls, and an assortment of toy trucks and cars were part of the pile of more than 1,000 toys that employees of the Department of Financial Services contributed this year to the Big Bend area Toys for Tots, a program that distributes toys to less-fortunate children throughout North Florida. 

Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher, a long-time supporter of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program, commended DFS employees for their generous spirit.  This is the third year DFS employees have participated in the program.



“There is no greater joy than knowing you helped put a smile on a child’s face,” said Gallagher, who oversees the department.  ”This is what the holidays are all about, sharing the bounty of the past year with family, friends and community.  I am honored to work with such generous people.  CONTINUED



FLORIDA INSURANCE OFFICIAL RECEIVES PRESTIGIOUS NATIONAL AWARD

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) has awarded its most prestigious national honor to Rich Robleto, of the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, at its winter meetings this week in New Orleans, LA.  Robleto serves as Director of Life and Health Product Review, providing oversight to those segments of Florida’s insurance industry.   

“I am both surprised and pleased to be honored with this award, but the credit, truly, should go to my staff,” said Robleto.  “They are extremely talented and work very hard to make sure Floridians have both competitive and consumer friendly insurance choices.” 
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HEALTHY KIDS OPEN ENROLLMENT BEGINS IN JANUARY

Since 1992, Florida’s Healthy Kids program has provided health insurance coverage to more than 500,000 children of working families.  In fact, the program has become a model for child health insurance programs across the nation. 

The amount of premium, based on household size and monthly income, is as little as $15 or $20 per month for most families. 

Families whose coverage was cancelled because of new enrollment requirements, imposed earlier this year by the Legislature, need only to send in their documents to be re-instated.  Families applying for the first time can do so during the annual open enrollment in January. CONTINUED