miami-dade-fl

Miami-Dade County, Florida — Tax Sale & Surplus Procedure

Local operations layer. The legal framework (redemption periods, surplus rights, statutes, case law) lives on the parent page → florida. This page covers how Miami-Dade County actually runs it — the auction platforms, calendar, offices, and where surplus claims are filed. Legal information, not legal advice. Last verified: 2026-06-01.

C0. Identity

• County seat: Miami · Recording unit: county (one of Florida’s 67)
• Population: ~2.67 million (largest county in Florida) — needs_verification of current Census estimate
• Parent legal framework: florida (Fla. Stat. Ch. 197 tax certificates/deeds; Ch. 45 mortgage foreclosure)
• Two separate offices run the two sale types: the Office of the Tax Collector (independent elected office under Tax Collector Dariel Fernandez) runs the annual tax-certificate sale; the Clerk of the Court & Comptroller (Juan Fernandez-Barquin, Esq.) runs the tax-deed auction and holds surplus. (mdctaxcollector.gov, miamidadeclerk.gov clerk bio)

C1. Local Tax Sale

Tax-certificate sale (Tax Collector) → framework: florida § 197.432

• Conducts own sale? Yes.
• Platform: LienHub (Grant Street Group) — https://lienhub.com/county/miamidade (Miami-Dade Tax Lien Auction home)
• Calendar: annual; the certificate sale takes place on/around June 1 for the prior year’s delinquent real-estate taxes. The 2026 sale began June 1, 2026. The Advertised List is typically published online in early May; bids may be entered once it posts and may be changed/withdrawn until the batch closes. (mdctaxcollector.gov tax certificate sales; June 1, 2026 announcement)
• Bid method / rate within statutory range: statutory bid-down interest, starting 18% and bid down in 0.25% increments (see florida § 197.432). Miami-Dade does not deviate from the state band.
• Registration / deposit: register on LienHub; a LienHub user ID from any LienHub site (or Palm Beach / St. Lucie foreclosure or tax-deed sales) may be reused. New bidders complete the LienHub registration form and email taxsale@miamidade.gov to obtain a bidder number. Security deposits and certificate purchases are paid by ACH debit authorized by the Tax Collector. (Miami-Dade Tax Lien Auction welcome/FAQ)
• Bidder requirement — single-registration reform: effective for the June 1, 2026 sale, bidders are limited to a single registered bidding account structure; affiliated multi-entity bidding is prohibited. (Tax Collector reform announcement)
• Delinquent / advertised list location: published on LienHub (the “Advertised List”) and via the Tax Collector. (lienhub.com/county/miamidade, mdctaxcollector.gov)

Tax-deed sale (Clerk of Court) → framework: florida § 197.502/§ 197.542

• Conducts own sale? Yes — the Clerk conducts the public tax-deed auction after a certificate holder applies (≥ 2 years after April 1 of issuance; see florida).
• Platform: RealAuction “Official Foreclosure & Tax Deed Sales” — https://www.miamidade.realforeclose.com/ (Clerk Property Tax Deeds page)
• Registration: bidders must register on the realforeclose platform before bidding; bidding procedures are governed by Administrative Order 13-05 (Electronic Tax Deed Sales Procedures). (Clerk Property Tax Deeds page)
• Deposit / payment: per florida § 197.542 (5%-or-$200 nonrefundable deposit, balance + doc stamps within 24 hours). Exact platform deposit mechanics — needs_verification against AO 13-05.
• Lands Available list: properties not sold at the tax-deed auction (struck to county) appear on the Lands Available for Taxes report at https://county-taxes.net/fl-miamidade/reports/real-estate. (Clerk Property Tax Deeds page)
• Tax-deed case search: RealTDM — https://miamidade.realtdm.com/public/cases/List (Clerk Property Tax Deeds page)

C2. Local Redemption → framework: right-of-redemption

• Where/how to redeem: redemption of a tax certificate is handled through the Office of the Tax Collector (delinquent-tax / certificate redemption); the right runs until the Clerk issues the tax deed (see florida § 197.472). (mdctaxcollector.gov delinquent taxes)
• Local fees: statutory certificate redemption fee + accrued interest (5% mandatory minimum) per florida; no county-specific surcharge identified.
• Redemption contact: Office of the Tax Collector — see C4.
• Deviations from state default: none identified beyond the single-registration bidding reform (C1).

C3. Local Surplus / Excess Proceeds → framework: surplus-funds

Two distinct regimes — file with the Clerk in both, but the statute and form differ:

Tax-deed surplus (Fla. Stat. § 197.582)

• Claim filing venue: Clerk of the Court & Comptroller — Tax Deed Unit, 20 NW 1st Avenue, Miami, FL 33128; phone 305-275-1155. (Clerk Property Tax Deeds page)
• Process: after a tax-deed sale leaving a surplus, the Clerk mails statutory notice; claimants submit a notarized statement of claim to the Clerk stating the lien/interest and amount due. Deadline is governed by florida § 197.582 (the 120-day claim window; former owner not barred). (Clerk Property Tax Deeds page; statutory framework → florida)
• Claim form: the Clerk does not publish a single named tax-deed surplus form on the public page reviewed; claimants use the notarized statement-of-claim per the mailed notice. ⚠ needs_verification — locate the specific tax-deed surplus claim form/number on miamidadeclerk.gov.
• Unclaimed-list published? A dedicated tax-deed-surplus unclaimed list was not located on the Clerk’s site; unclaimed tax-deed surplus ultimately routes to FL DFS Unclaimed Property (Ch. 717, see florida). needs_verification of a county-hosted list.

Mortgage-foreclosure surplus (Fla. Stat. § 45.032) → framework: florida

• Claim filing venue: Clerk of the Court & Comptroller — Foreclosure Unit, 111 N.W. 1st Street, 12th Floor, Miami, FL 33128; phone 305-375-5943. (Clerk Mortgage Foreclosures page)
• Form: Clerk publishes “Homeowners’ Rights to Surplus Foreclosure Sale Proceeds” (CLK/CT 940) — https://www.miamidadeclerk.gov/library/mortgage/940-web.pdf — and directs former owners to contact the Foreclosure Unit, ideally within 10 days of the Certificate of Sale, to begin the claim. No attorney is required. (Clerk Mortgage Foreclosures page; 940-web.pdf)
• Filing fees (foreclosure surplus claim): ≤$50,000\to$401; >$50,000and<$250,000 → $906;\ge$250,000 → $1,906;possible$50 reopen fee if filed after the deadline. (Clerk Mortgage Foreclosures page)
• Auction platform (foreclosure): https://www.miamidade.realforeclose.com/ (same RealAuction platform). (Clerk Mortgage Foreclosures page)

C4. Offices & Contacts

Office	Name	Address	Phone	URL
Tax Collector (certificates/redemption)	Office of the Tax Collector (Dariel Fernandez)	(mailing per site)	(see site) / email taxsale@miamidade.gov	mdctaxcollector.gov
Clerk of Court & Comptroller — Tax Deed Unit	Juan Fernandez-Barquin, Esq.	20 NW 1st Avenue, Miami, FL 33128	305-275-1155	miamidadeclerk.gov tax deeds
Clerk of Court & Comptroller — Foreclosure Unit	Juan Fernandez-Barquin, Esq.	111 N.W. 1st Street, 12th Floor, Miami, FL 33128	305-375-5943	miamidadeclerk.gov foreclosures
Recorder (County Recorder — within Clerk’s office)	Clerk of the Court & Comptroller	20 NW 1st Avenue, Miami, FL 33128	305-275-1155	official records
Property Appraiser	Miami-Dade Property Appraiser	—	305-375-4712	miamidadepa.gov
Sheriff	N/A — Florida tax-deed & foreclosure sales are conducted by the Clerk, not the sheriff	—	—	see florida

C5. Local Procedure Notes

• Administrative Order 13-05 governs electronic tax-deed sale procedures (bidding mechanics, risk disclaimer that the Clerk makes no warranty as to condition/title/liens/zoning). (Clerk Property Tax Deeds page)
• Single-bidder-registration reform (2026): affiliated multi-entity bidding on the certificate sale is prohibited beginning June 1, 2026 — a Miami-Dade-specific operational rule, not a statewide statute. (Tax Collector announcement)
• Two-office split: certificate sale (Tax Collector / LienHub) and tax-deed sale (Clerk / RealAuction) are run by different offices on different platforms — operators must track both. The Tax Collector is now an independent elected office (recent change), separate from the County’s general administration.
• ACH-only payments for certificate deposits/purchases. (LienHub FAQ)

C6. Records Access

• Parcel / folio search (Property Appraiser): https://www.miamidadepa.gov/pa/real-estate/property-search.page (miamidadepa.gov)
• Recorder / official records (deeds, mortgages, liens) search: https://onlineservices.miamidadeclerk.gov/officialrecords (Clerk official records)
• GIS map: https://gisweb.miamidade.gov/NSPApp/NSPApp.htm
• Tax payment portal / delinquent taxes: https://mdctaxcollector.gov/delinquent-taxes-current-year-and-prior-years (mdctaxcollector.gov)
• Tax-deed case search (RealTDM): https://miamidade.realtdm.com/public/cases/List
• Lands available for taxes: https://county-taxes.net/fl-miamidade/reports/real-estate

C7. Meta

• sources:
  • {type: official, url: https://mdctaxcollector.gov/services/tax-certificate-sales, retrieved: 2026-06-01} (Tax Collector — certificate sale, June 1, advertised list, registration)
  • {type: official, url: https://lienhub.com/county/miamidade, retrieved: 2026-06-01} (LienHub platform — certificate auction)
  • {type: official, url: https://lienhub.com/county/miamidade/certsale/main, retrieved: 2026-06-01} (LienHub welcome/FAQ — bidder ID, ACH, taxsale@miamidade.gov)
  • {type: official, url: https://mdctaxcollector.gov/blog/tax-collector-dariel-fernandez-announces-major-reform-to-miami-dade-tax-certificate-sale-process, retrieved: 2026-06-01} (single-registration bidding reform)
  • {type: official, url: https://mdctaxcollector.gov/blog/miami-dade-county-tax-certificate-sale-scheduled-to-take-place-on-june-1-2025, retrieved: 2026-06-01} (June 1 sale-date announcement)
  • {type: official, url: https://www.miamidadeclerk.gov/clerk/property-tax-deeds.page, retrieved: 2026-06-01} (Clerk tax-deed — RealAuction, AO 13-05, Tax Deed Unit address/phone, Lands Available, RealTDM)
  • {type: official, url: https://www.miamidadeclerk.gov/clerk/mortgage-foreclosures.page, retrieved: 2026-06-01} (Clerk foreclosure surplus — Foreclosure Unit, fees, 10-day note, platform)
  • {type: official, url: https://www.miamidadeclerk.gov/library/mortgage/940-web.pdf, retrieved: 2026-06-01} (CLK/CT 940 Homeowners’ Rights to Surplus Foreclosure Sale Proceeds)
  • {type: official, url: https://www.miamidadeclerk.gov/clerk/clerks-biography.page, retrieved: 2026-06-01} (Clerk identity: Juan Fernandez-Barquin)
  • {type: official, url: https://www.miamidadeclerk.gov/clerk/official-records.page, retrieved: 2026-06-01} (recorder / official records search)
  • {type: official, url: https://onlineservices.miamidadeclerk.gov/officialrecords, retrieved: 2026-06-01} (official records online search system)
  • {type: official, url: https://www.miamidadepa.gov/pa/real-estate/property-search.page, retrieved: 2026-06-01} (Property Appraiser parcel/folio search)
  • {type: official, url: https://mdctaxcollector.gov/delinquent-taxes-current-year-and-prior-years, retrieved: 2026-06-01} (delinquent taxes / payment)
• needs_verification:
  • Specific tax-deed surplus claim form name/number on miamidadeclerk.gov (only the notarized statement-of-claim process and § 197.582 framework confirmed; foreclosure surplus uses CLK/CT 940, but the tax-deed surplus form was not separately located).
  • Whether the Clerk hosts a county tax-deed-surplus unclaimed list (none located; tax-deed surplus escheats to FL DFS Ch. 717 per florida).
  • Exact tax-deed bidder deposit mechanics under Administration Order 13-05 (RealAuction platform).
  • Current population figure (Census estimate not retrieved from a primary source).
  • Tax Collector mailing address / general phone (cite directs to email taxsale@miamidade.gov for certificate-sale matters).
• cross_links: florida, surplus-funds, right-of-redemption, treasurer-sale, sheriff-sale, due-process-notice, tyler-v-hennepin-county
• changelog:
  • 2026-06-01 — Initial population. All C0–C7 modules filled from Miami-Dade official sources (Tax Collector, Clerk of Court & Comptroller, Property Appraiser, LienHub, RealAuction). Documented two-office split (Tax Collector LienHub certificate sale vs. Clerk RealAuction tax-deed sale), 2026 single-registration bidding reform, and dual surplus regimes (§ 197.582 tax-deed via Tax Deed Unit; § 45.032 foreclosure via Foreclosure Unit / CLK/CT 940).

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Legal information, not legal advice. This page summarizes Miami-Dade County’s tax-sale and surplus operations for research purposes only and may be incomplete or out of date. The controlling legal framework is on florida; statutes, local administrative orders, office addresses, and platforms change. Verify every date, fee, form, and office against the cited official sources and consult a licensed Florida attorney before acting. Last verified: 2026-06-01.