Sarasota County Tax Sale AuctionsSeptember 10th, 2008
On the advertised day and time no later than June 1st, the Tax Collector auctions and sells a tax certificate on each delinquent parcel. Since the taxes on some parcels will have been paid prior to sale, those paid parcels that appeared in the newspaper advertisement will be skipped. Bidding begins at 18% and the certificate is sold to the person bidding the LOWEST annual interest rate.
The Sarasota County Tax Certificate Sale will be conducted on the Internet. Bidders will have 2-3 weeks to enter their bids prior to the certificates being awarded on June 1st. There is additional information about the tax sale procedures at SarasotaCountyTaxSale.com.
Bidder registrations are being handled online beginning May 8th and will require the name, address, phone number and taxpayer identification or social security number for each bidder. Both new and existing certificate holders will need to register. To register, please visit SarasotaCountyTaxSale.com.
County tax certificates are available for purchase in the Tax Collector’s office. When someone buys a county tax certificate the lien is transferred to the buyer. The purchase price is the amount of the original certificate plus interest due to the date of purchase. The interest rate of the purchased certificate is 18%. Anyone interested in purchasing county certificates should call for an appointment at (941) 861-8390.
In order to clear the property of the tax lien, the property owner must pay the amount of the tax certificate plus interest calculated from the month of the certificate sale to the month of payment. The interest cannot be less than 5%. All payments are made to the Tax Collector.
If the taxes are not paid within two years from the date the tax became delinquent, the certificate holder may apply for a tax deed and bring the land to sale at a public auction. Example: 2007 taxes are delinquent April 1, 2008; therefore, a tax deed application may be made after April 1, 2010. A certificate holder who wishes to apply for a tax deed must redeem all other certificates and pay other fees as mandated by state law.
The life of a tax certificate is seven years from the date of issuance. If the certificate holder does not apply for a tax deed within seven years, the certificate is null and void.
If the land goes to a public sale, the starting bid is the total amount of the tax deed application. When the property is assessed on the latest tax roll as homestead property, the starting bid also includes one half of the assessed value of the property as listed on the current year’s tax roll. The highest bidder will receive a tax deed from the Clerk of the Circuit Court. This is not the same as a Warranty Deed and more steps may be necessary to obtain a clear title. If the applicant is not the highest bidder, she/he will be reimbursed for the total amount paid at the time of the application plus 1 1/2% interest per month. If the highest bid is greater than the amount paid in the application, all parties with a recorded interest are notified. After all claims have been satisfied, any additional money is sent to the property owner.
If the County is the holder of a certificate when the property is offered for sale and there is no bidder, the land is placed on a List of Lands Available. The property can be purchased any time during the next 7 years (or 3 years if all the certificates were issued after July 1, 1999) by paying the original opening bid, any additional years taxes and the Clerk’s fees. If no one purchases the property, the County becomes the owner. To obtain information on the List of Lands Available, contact the Clerk of the Circuit Court (941) 861-7400.
The Tax Deed Sale list of properties can be found on http://www.sarasotataxcollector.com/DOWNLOAD_PAGES/deed.htm . You can also view other tax sale records for download at: http://www.sarasotataxcollector.com/DOWNLOAD_PAGES/downloads.htm
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