Right to redeem a tax certificate until a tax deed is issued
Fla. Stat. § 197.472(1)
In plain words
When Florida property taxes go unpaid, the county sells a tax certificate (a lien), not your home. You can redeem the certificate at any time before a tax deed is issued, by paying the face amount plus interest and costs to the tax collector. A tax deed cannot be applied for until at least two years after April 1 of the year the certificate was issued.
Who is protected
Owners of Florida property with a tax certificate sold against it.
When it applies
- Only in Florida.
- Only if you are behind on property taxes.
What you can do
Get property-tax help
Ask the county tax collector for the redemption amount and pay it in certified funds.
Deadline: Before the clerk issues a tax deed
Open the toolPut the deadline on your calendar
If you get a notice of tax deed application, mark the sale date; you must redeem before the deed issues.
Deadline: The tax deed sale date in any clerk’s notice
Open the tool
Honest limits
- Interest and costs grow over time, and once full payment for a tax deed is made to the clerk you can no longer redeem.
- This is general education, not legal advice. Laws change and details depend on your papers and your court; check the current law or ask a lawyer or legal aid.
The law
- State lawRedemption of tax certificates
Fla. Stat. § 197.472(1)
Exact part: (1)
What it says: A tax certificate may be redeemed any time after it is issued and before a tax deed is issued.
Read the official texthttps://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2026/197.472 - State lawApplication for tax deed
Fla. Stat. § 197.502
What it says: A certificate holder may apply for a tax deed only after two years from April 1 of the certificate’s year.
Read the official texthttps://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2026/197.502
Court cases
- Homeowner wonSame topicTyler v. Hennepin County
Tyler v. Hennepin County, 598 U.S. 631 (2023)
a government that sells a home for unpaid taxes and keeps the value beyond the tax debt takes property without just compensation
- Homeowner wonSame topicHall v. Meisner
Hall v. Meisner, 51 F.4th 185 (6th Cir. 2022)
a homeowner's equity in property taken for a smaller tax debt is protected property, and taking it without compensation states a federal takings claim
- Homeowner wonSame topicJones v. Flowers
Jones v. Flowers, 547 U.S. 220 (2006)
when mailed notice of a tax sale is returned undelivered, the government must take additional reasonable steps to notify the owner before selling the property
- Homeowner wonSame topicMennonite Board of Missions v. Adams
Mennonite Bd. of Missions v. Adams, 462 U.S. 791 (1983)
a person with a recorded interest in property is entitled to notice by mail or equally reliable means before a tax sale, and publication or posting alone is not enough
- Homeowner lostSame topicPung v. Isabella County
Pung v. Isabella County, No. 25-95, slip op. (U.S. June 23, 2026)
after a fairly conducted tax sale, the government owes the former owner the surplus from the sale price, not the property's fair market value
Related rights
Right to surplus after a tax deed sale
Fla. Stat. § 197.582(2)(a)
If your property sells at a Florida tax deed sale for more than the certificate holder’s opening bid, the extra is surplus. The clerk must pay it out to government units, lienholders and then the former owner. Florida had this rule before the 2023 Tyler v. Hennepin County decision.
Read this rightThe right to real notice before the government takes or sells your home
U.S. Const. amend. XIV, § 1Due Process Clause
Before a state or county sells your property — for example at a tax sale, or through a court foreclosure — the Constitution requires notice that is reasonably likely to actually reach you. If the government knows your address, publishing a notice in the newspaper is not enough. If a mailed notice comes back unclaimed, the government must take extra reasonable steps to reach you, if it practicably can.
Read this rightThe government cannot keep your home equity beyond the tax debt
U.S. Const. amend. VTakings Clause
If your home is taken or sold to pay property taxes, the government may collect what you owe, but it may not keep the extra value. Keeping the surplus is a "taking" of your property without just compensation, which the Fifth Amendment forbids (Tyler v. Hennepin County, 2023). You may be able to claim the surplus, but you usually must follow your state's claim process and deadlines.
Read this rightFair handling of your escrow account
12 C.F.R. § 1024.17(c)(1)
If your servicer collects money for taxes and insurance (escrow), it must pay those bills on time as long as you are not more than 30 days behind. It must review the account every year and send you a statement. It cannot keep more than a small cushion (one-sixth of a year's payments), and it must refund a surplus of $50 or more within 30 days of the review. When you pay off the loan, it must return what is left within 20 business days.
Read this right