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Pinellas County, FL

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Pinellas 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 Pinellas County actually runs it. Legal information, not legal advice. Last verified: 2026-06-02.

C0. Identity

  • County seat: Clearwater · Population: 959,107 (2020 Census; 7th most populous Florida county) · Recording unit: county (one of Florida’s 67 counties).
  • Parent legal framework: florida (Ch. 197 tax certificates / tax deeds; Ch. 45 mortgage foreclosure).
  • Standard Florida structure: Pinellas follows the standard Florida model — the Tax Collector conducts the tax-certificate sale; the Clerk of the Circuit Court conducts tax-deed sales and holds surplus; the Clerk also administers mortgage-foreclosure sales (Ch. 45). The Sheriff does NOT conduct real property sales. (Source: pinellas.gov — About Pinellas; pinellastaxcollector.gov — Tax Certificate & Tax Deed)

C1. Local Tax Sale

Two distinct sales exist in Florida (see florida for full statutory mechanics):

(a) Tax-certificate sale — conducted by the Pinellas County Tax Collector

  • Conducts own sale? Yes, fully online. · Platform: LienHub (Grant Street Group) — lienhub.com/county/pinellas/certsale/main.
  • Calendar: annual, held on or before June 1 each year. Taxes become delinquent April 1; properties advertised once per week for three consecutive weeks before the sale. (Source: pinellastaxcollector.gov — Tax Certificate & Tax Deed)
  • Rate within statutory range: standard Florida bid-down from 18% maximum per florida (§ 197.432); no county-specific rate confirmed.
  • Registration / deposit: Bidders register on lienhub.com. Registration requires a federal taxpayer identification number or Social Security number. Only one bidder per taxpayer ID/SSN is permitted. Bidders must fund participation via ACH debit on LienHub. Payment deadline: 4:30 p.m. the business day before the certificate sale. (Source: pinellastaxcollector.gov — FAQ)
  • Bidder requirements: U.S. taxpayer ID; ACH deposit; one registrant per TIN. Interest earned on certificates is reportable to the IRS on Form 1099-INT. (Source: pinellastaxcollector.gov — FAQ)
  • County-held certificates: Unsold certificates struck to the county become available for purchase through LienHub at lienhub.com/county/pinellas/countyheld/certificates beginning the first business day of September. (Source: pinellastaxcollector.gov — Tax Certificate & Tax Deed)
  • Delinquent list location: Published as a newspaper advertisement once per week for three consecutive weeks prior to the certificate sale. needs_verification: specific newspaper/URL where Pinellas publishes the delinquent tax list.

(b) Tax-deed auction — conducted by the Pinellas County Clerk of the Circuit Court

  • Conducts own sale? Yes. · Platform: needs_verification — Pinellas Clerk’s website (mypinellasclerk.gov) blocked all automated fetches; platform (whether RealAuction / RealTaxDeed subdomain or in-house) could not be confirmed from a retrieved official source.
  • Calendar: Tax-deed application may be filed by certificate holder two years after April 1 of the year the certificate was issued. After application is filed, it typically takes 3–6 months for a property to go to auction. (Source: pinellastaxcollector.gov — Tax Certificate & Tax Deed)
  • Deposit / payment: Per state default (§ 197.542): non-refundable 5% of bid or $200, whichever is greater, at sale; balance + documentary stamps + recording fee due within 24 hours (excluding weekends/holidays). needs_verification: confirm Pinellas-specific deposit/payment rules from Clerk’s official published auction rules.
  • Warning letters: The Tax Collector mails courtesy warning letters each February to at-risk property owners with a deadline of the last business day of March. (Source: pinellastaxcollector.gov — FAQ)

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

  • Where/how to redeem: Redemption of a tax certificate before a tax deed issues is handled by the Pinellas County Tax Collector. Property owners may redeem at any time before the scheduled auction sale by paying all delinquent taxes, accrued interest, costs, and charges simultaneously (no partial payments accepted). (Source: pinellastaxcollector.gov — FAQ)
  • Payment methods accepted: Cash, wire transfer, or certified funds payable to the Pinellas County Tax Collector. Personal checks and credit cards are not accepted for tax-deed-related payments. (Source: pinellastaxcollector.gov — FAQ)
  • Local fees: Statutory formula per florida § 197.472 (delinquent taxes + interest + advertising costs + fees; 5% minimum interest). No Pinellas-specific surcharge confirmed.
  • Contact for redemption: Pinellas County Tax Collector — phone 727-464-3409; wire transfer / bankruptcy assistance: deedsupport@pinellastaxcollector.gov. (Source: pinellastaxcollector.gov — FAQ)
  • Deviations from state default: None identified. Pinellas follows the Ch. 197 redemption framework.

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

  • Claim filing venue: Surplus from tax-deed sales is held by the Pinellas County Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller, 315 Court St., Clearwater, FL 33756. Per florida § 197.582, the Clerk distributes surplus through the statutory waterfall. needs_verification: specific division/desk within the Clerk’s office that handles surplus claims (mypinellasclerk.gov site blocked; Clerk’s surplus-claim form name/URL not retrieved from an official source).
  • Claim form: needs_verification — Clerk’s website inaccessible during research; form name and URL not confirmed from a retrieved official source.
  • Local deadline notes: Per florida § 197.582 (applies statewide): 120 days from the date of the Clerk’s mailed notice; former owner is NOT barred by the 120-day cutoff. See florida for the full waterfall and escheat mechanics.
  • Unclaimed-funds list published? needs_verification — Pinellas Clerk surplus list URL not confirmed from a retrieved official source.
  • Escheated surplus: Unclaimed surplus routes to FL Dept. of Financial Services Division of Unclaimed Property (fltreasurehunt.gov) per florida Ch. 717.
  • Contact: Pinellas County Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller — 315 Court St., Clearwater, FL 33756; (727) 464-7000; website: www.mypinellasclerk.org. (Source: pinellas.gov — Contact Information & Location Maps)

Mortgage-foreclosure surplus (Ch. 45): Also filed with the Clerk of the Circuit Court per florida § 45.032; 60-day window from certificate of disbursements; surplus trustee if no claims. See florida for full Ch. 45 surplus mechanics.

▸ For Investors / Operators — Pinellas County’s annual tax-certificate sale runs on LienHub (lienhub.com/county/pinellas/certsale/main), requiring a U.S. taxpayer ID and ACH deposit due by 4:30 p.m. the business day before the sale; one bidder per TIN. County-held certificates become available at the same portal beginning the first business day of September. Tax-deed auctions are conducted by the Clerk of the Circuit Court (mypinellasclerk.org); the specific platform and auction timing are pending verification (Clerk’s site was inaccessible during research). Redemption requires cash, wire, or certified funds only — no personal checks or credit cards — payable to the Tax Collector at 727-464-3409.

▸ For Former Owners — Tax-deed surplus is held by the Pinellas County Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller, 315 Court St., Clearwater, FL 33756, (727) 464-7000. The specific surplus-claim form name and Clerk’s division contact require verification (Clerk’s website blocked during research). Under florida § 197.582, claimants other than the former property owner must file within 120 days of the Clerk’s mailed notice; the former owner is not barred by that cutoff. Unclaimed surplus routes to Florida’s Division of Unclaimed Property at fltreasurehunt.gov.

C4. Offices & Contacts

OfficeNameAddressPhoneURL
Tax Collector (certificate sale, redemption, tax payment)Adam Ross, Pinellas County Tax Collector315 Court St., Clearwater, FL 33756 (main); also offices at Gulf to Bay, Mid County, South County727-464-7777pinellastaxcollector.gov
Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller (tax-deed sales, surplus, mortgage-foreclosure sales, official records)needs_verification — current Clerk name not confirmed from retrieved official source315 Court St., Clearwater, FL 33756(727) 464-7000mypinellasclerk.org
Property Appraiser (assessment, parcel search, ownership)Pinellas County Property Appraiser315 Court Street, 2nd Floor, Clearwater, FL 33756(727) 464-3207pcpao.gov
Sheriff (civil process, NOT property auctions)Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office10750 Ulmerton Rd., Largo, FL 33778727-582-6200pinellassheriff.gov

Tax Collector branch offices (all offering property tax services):

  • North County: 29399 US Highway 19 North, Suite 100, Clearwater, FL 33761
  • Gulf to Bay: 1663 Gulf to Bay Boulevard, Clearwater, FL 33755
  • Mid County: 13025 Starkey Road, Largo, FL 33773
  • South County: 2500 34th Street North, St. Petersburg, FL 33713
  • Hours: Mon/Tue/Thu/Fri 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m.; Wed 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. (Source: pinellastaxcollector.gov — Hours & Locations)

Sheriff Civil Process Unit (serves civil process, NOT property auctions):

C5. Local Procedure Notes

  • Standard Florida structure: Pinellas follows the typical Florida model (unlike Broward, which uses an RTT division for tax deeds). The Clerk runs both tax-deed and Ch. 45 mortgage-foreclosure sales; the Tax Collector runs the certificate sale.
  • LienHub for certificates; Clerk platform for tax deeds: The split-platform structure means certificate-sale bidders use LienHub; tax-deed bidders use whatever platform the Clerk operates. needs_verification of the Clerk’s current tax-deed auction platform.
  • Warning letter program: Tax Collector mails February warning letters to at-risk owners (deadline last business day of March) — a Pinellas-specific courtesy step before the tax-deed application/sale.
  • No sheriff sales: Florida uses the Clerk of Circuit Court for both tax-deed and mortgage-foreclosure sales; the Sheriff does not conduct property auctions.
  • Redemption payment restriction: No personal checks or credit cards accepted for tax-deed redemption — cash, wire, or certified funds only (Tax Collector).
  • Tax deed timeline: Application ≥ 2 years after April 1 of certificate issuance year; 3–6 months from application to auction.

C6. Records Access

C7. Meta

  • sources:
  • needs_verification:
    • Pinellas Clerk of Circuit Court name — current Clerk name not found on any retrieved accessible page; mypinellasclerk.gov blocked all fetches.
    • Tax-deed auction platform — which platform (RealAuction, RealTaxDeed subdomain, or in-house) the Pinellas Clerk uses for online tax-deed auctions; mypinellasclerk.gov blocked all fetches.
    • Surplus claim form name and URL — Clerk’s specific surplus-claim form name and current PDF URL not retrieved from an official source.
    • Surplus claim filing desk/division — specific room, division, or contact within the Clerk’s office for surplus claims (not retrievable due to blocked fetches).
    • Unclaimed surplus list URL — whether Pinellas Clerk publishes an unclaimed/overbid surplus list and its URL.
    • Delinquent tax list publication venue — specific newspaper name or URL where Pinellas publishes the delinquent tax list prior to the certificate sale.
    • LienHub ACH deposit amount — specific deposit amount or formula required for LienHub registration (stated as ACH but amount not confirmed).
    • Tax-deed deposit/payment rules from Clerk — while state default (§ 197.542: 5%/$200, 24 hrs) likely applies, Pinellas-specific auction rules from the Clerk not confirmed.
    • Official records deed search URL — officialrecords.mypinellasclerk.gov redirected from officialrecords.mypinellasclerk.org but the destination returned HTTP 403; URL structure confirmed from pcpao.gov external link but not verified live.
  • cross_links: florida, surplus-funds, right-of-redemption, treasurer-sale, sheriff-sale, third-party-recovery-rules, tyler-v-hennepin-county, bankruptcy-automatic-stay, due-process-notice
  • changelog:
    • 2026-06-02 — Initial population. Verified against pinellastaxcollector.gov (tax cert sale on LienHub/June 1; LienHub registration/ACH; redemption rules; warning letters), pinellas.gov contact page (all office addresses/phones), pcpao.gov (parcel search/GIS), pinellassheriff.gov (Sheriff Bob Gualtieri; civil process unit; no property auctions). Pinellas Clerk website (mypinellasclerk.gov) returned HTTP 403 for all pages fetched — Clerk-specific details (name, tax-deed platform, surplus form, surplus desk) marked needs_verification.

▸ For Investors / Operators — Pinellas County’s annual tax-certificate sale runs on LienHub (lienhub.com/county/pinellas/certsale/main), requiring a U.S. taxpayer ID and ACH deposit due by 4:30 p.m. the business day before the sale; one bidder per TIN. County-held certificates become available at the same portal beginning the first business day of September. Tax-deed auctions are conducted by the Clerk of the Circuit Court (mypinellasclerk.org); the specific platform and auction timing are pending verification (Clerk’s site was inaccessible during research). Redemption requires cash, wire, or certified funds only — no personal checks or credit cards — payable to the Tax Collector at 727-464-3409.

▸ For Former Owners — Tax-deed surplus is held by the Pinellas County Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller, 315 Court St., Clearwater, FL 33756, (727) 464-7000. The specific surplus-claim form name and Clerk’s division contact require verification (Clerk’s website blocked during research). Under florida § 197.582, claimants other than the former property owner must file within 120 days of the Clerk’s mailed notice; the former owner is not barred by that cutoff. Unclaimed surplus routes to Florida’s Division of Unclaimed Property at fltreasurehunt.gov.

Legal information, not legal advice. This page summarizes how Pinellas County, Florida administers tax-certificate and tax-deed sales and surplus claims for research purposes only and may be incomplete or out of date. Procedures, offices, platforms, and deadlines change. Verify every figure, address, and deadline against the cited official Pinellas County sources and consult a licensed Florida attorney before acting. The legal framework lives on florida. Last verified: 2026-06-02.

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