OFFICE OF LAURA E. ROTH
CLERK OF THE CIRCUIT COURT
VOLUSIA COUNTY, FLORIDA

Tax Deeds

Prepares and conducts tax deed sales in accordance with Florida Statutes in order to recover delinquent property taxes

Overview

The Clerk's Office conducts Tax Deed Sales in accordance with Florida Statutes. Tax Deed sales are held online at www.volusia.realtaxdeed.com at 9:00 AM ET. Check the Tax Deed Inquiry listing for sale dates. At the date and time specified for the sale, each item is auctioned in order of certificate number and sold to the highest bidder. Tax Deed Sales are advertised in The West Volusia Beacon. A list of Current Tax Deed Sales and the Tax Deed files are available online.

Disclaimer: The Clerk does not expressly or implicitly warrant that the information or data posted regarding tax deed sales is accurate or correct. The official Notice of Application for Tax Deed is published in The West Volusia Beacon in Volusia County, Florida and is also available in the Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Volusia County, Florida.

To participate in the tax deed auction process deposits can be made at www.volusia.realtaxdeed.com using ACH (Electronic Check) payment or wire transfer. Bidders must remit their ACH deposit no later than 4 full working days prior to the commencement of a sale or by 2:00 PM ET on the business day before the sale when using wire transfer. Cashier’s check and money order deposits must be delivered to the Tax Deed Department at the Clerk's office in the Volusia County Courthouse at 101 N. Alabama Avenue, Room A121, in DeLand, Florida, by 2:00 PM ET on the business day before the sale.

* Please keep holiday dates in mind when processing/scheduling your ACH and Wire transfers. Extra time will be needed so that your funds are available to you when required to place your deposit on your tax deed purchase.

For each piece of property purchased, the successful high bidder is required to pay a non-refundable deposit equal to 5 percent of the final bid or $200.00, whichever is greater, at the time of the sale. Effective January 1, 2022, the Clerk’s Office will no longer accept cash as a means of bidder account deposit, bids or final winning bid payment. Payment must be in the form of cashier's check, money order, deposit balance or wire transfer.

If high bidder is making payment in the form of cashier's check or money order it must be delivered to the Tax Deed Department at the Clerk's office in the Volusia County Courthouse at 101 N. Alabama Avenue, Room A121, in DeLand, Florida, within 24 hours of the advertised time of the sale but no later than 12:00 PM ET the next business day following the Tax Deed Sale – NO EXCEPTION. Wire transfer must be received no later than 12:00 PM ET on the next business day after the sale. The high bidder's deposit balance may be used for payment. In accordance with Florida Statue 192.0105(3), the sale is final when the high bidder remits full payment to the Clerk. Upon payment of the remainder of the bid, the Clerk will issue a Tax Deed for the property. The property owner may redeem his/her property by paying all back taxes and costs up until full payment is received.

Unused funds on deposit will remain in the bidder’s account to be used on future bids, or the bidder can request a refund by clicking the "Request Refund" button under the Funds Transfer section of the left navigation.
Refund requests via ACH are available to those that have made deposits via ACH and take approximately 7 business days to process. Refund requests via mailed paper checks are available for those that have made deposits via wire transfer or counter deposit. Please allow up to 30 business days after receipt of the paper check refund request for processing. Allow up to an additional 2 weeks for the receipt of the refund check.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Tax Deed Sale?

A Tax Deed Sale is a public auction where property is sold to the highest bidder in order to recover delinquent property taxes. The sale occurs when an owner of a Tax Certificate applies to the Tax Collector for a tax deed sale after the Tax Certificate has been held for the statutory period. The Clerk's Office conducts the Tax Deed Sale online at www.volusia.realtaxdeed.com in accordance with Florida Statutes.

Are the Tax Deed Sales advertised in the newspaper?

Yes, the Clerk of Circuit Court is required by Florida Statutes to advertise each sale once a week for four consecutive weeks before the scheduled Tax Deed Sale. Notices of pending Tax Deed Sales are published in The West Volusia Beacon.

What if I need additional information regarding a property being sold at a Tax Deed Sale?

Property Information reports can be found in the individual Tax Deed Files. The Volusia County Property Appraiser's office located at 123 West Indiana Avenue in DeLand (and online at vcpa.vcgov.org) can provide you with information on any structural improvements on the property. The laws governing Tax Deed Sales can be found in Chapter 197 of the Florida Statutes. The rules of the Florida Department of Revenue regarding Tax Deed Sales can be found in their administrative code beginning at 12D-13.060.

How long does the property owner have to redeem the property?

In accordance with Florida Statute 192.0105(3) and 197.472(1), the property owner can redeem his or her property up until the time that the high bidder remits full payment to the Clerk.

What determines the opening bid amount of a piece of property at a Tax Deed Sale?

The opening bid of each property being sold is the sum of the outstanding tax certificates, delinquent taxes paid, fees, costs, and interest. If tax certificates exist or if delinquent taxes accrued subsequent to the filing of the tax deed application, the amount required to redeem such tax certificates or pay such delinquent taxes is included in the opening bid. The opening bid is subject to change without notice and is available on the Clerk's web site or by calling (386) 736-5919.

If I am the successful bidder at a Tax Deed Sale, am I entitled to immediate possession of the property after a tax deed has been issued to me?

According to Florida Statutes 197.562, the grantee of any tax deed shall be entitled to the immediate possession of the lands described in the deed.

What do I need to do in order to participate?

In order to participate in the sale, bidders must register at www.volusia.realtaxdeed.com to obtain a Username and Password. A valid deposit of $200.00 or 5% of the winning bid, whichever is greater must be made for each property they would like to bid on. Deposits can be made on this site using ACH (Electronic Check) payment or wire transfer. Bidders must remit their ACH deposit no later than 4 full working days prior to the commencement of a sale or by 2:00PM ET on the business day before the sale when using wire transfer. Cashier's check and money order deposits must be delivered to the Tax Deed Department at the Clerk's office in the Volusia County Courthouse at 101 N. Alabama Avenue, Room A121, in DeLand, Florida, by 2:00 PM ET on the business day before the sale.

If I am the high bidder, how long do I have to pay for the property?

If you are the successful bidder for property at a Tax Deed Sale, payment of the balance of the high bid, along with the recording fee, state documentary stamps of $.70 per $100.00 of the transfer amount, and a deposit registry fee must be received by the Clerk's office within 24 hours of the sale. Cashier's check and money order payments must be delivered to the Tax Deed Department at the Clerk's office in the Volusia County Courthouse at 101 N. Alabama Avenue, Room A121, in DeLand, Florida, no later than 12:00 PM ET the next business day following the Tax Deed Sale – NO EXCEPTION. Wire transfer must be received no later than 12:00 PM ET on the next business day after the sale. The high bidder's deposit balance may be used for payment. The sale is final when full payment is received in the Clerk's office. Upon payment of the remainder of the bid, the Clerk will issue a Tax Deed for the property. The property owner may redeem his/her property by paying all back taxes and costs up until full payment is received.

What if I am the high bidder and I fail to make the final payment or choose not to purchase the property for any reason?

Your deposit will be forfeited if full payment is not made within 24 hours of the sale or if full payment is not received by the Clerk's office by 12:00 PM ET the next business day following the Tax Deed Sale – NO EXCEPTION. Additionally, in accordance with Florida Statutes 197.542, the Clerk may refuse to recognize the bid of any person who has previously bid and refused, for any reason, to honor such bid. For a first offense, the defaulting bidder will be banned from participating in Tax Deed Sales as a bidder for a period of six (6) months. A second offense will result in a twelve (12) month ban from participating as a bidder in Tax Deed Sales. A third offense WILL result in the defaulting bidder being PERMANENTLY banned from participating as a bidder at all future Tax Deed Sales – NO EXCEPTION. The property is re-advertised and offered for sale again at a later date.

Where can I find information regarding the sale of tax certificates?

Tax certificate information can be obtained from the County of Volusia, Tax Collector's office, at 123 W. Indiana Avenue, DeLand, FL.

NOTE: Properties sold during the tax sale and properties sold from the "List of Lands Available for Taxes" will be conveyed by Tax Deed. This form of deed is not a warranty deed. Any property that is the subject of the Tax Deed Sale is sold "AS IS" without any warranties or representations of any kind or character, express or implied, with respect to the property, including, but not limited to, warranties or representations as to matters of title, land use, zoning, tax consequences, physical or environmental conditions, availability of access, ingress or egress, valuations, governmental approvals, governmental regulations, or any other matter or thing relating to or affecting the property. Without limiting the foregoing, there are no warranties or representations concerning:

  1. the ownership of the property;
  2. whether the property is subject to any liens, easements or restrictions;
  3. the land use, zoning, value, condition, merchantability, marketability, profitability, suitability or fitness for a particular use or purpose of the property;
  4. whether any improvements, including buildings or mobile homes, are located on the property, or the value thereof;
  5. the manner or quality of the constructions or construction of materials incorporated into any part of the property;
  6. the manner, quality, state of repair, or lack of repair of the property, or of any improvements thereon; or
  7. whether utilities are available to the property.

What can I do with any unused funds in my real auction account?

Unused funds on deposit will remain in the bidder’s account to be used on future bids, or the bidder can request a refund by clicking the "Request Refund" button under the Funds Transfer section of the left navigation.
Refund requests via ACH are available to those that have made deposits via ACH and take approximately 7 business days to process. Refund requests via mailed paper checks are available for those that have made deposits via wire transfer or counter deposit. Please allow up to 30 business days after receipt of the paper check refund request for processing. Allow up to an additional 2 weeks for the receipt of the refund check.

Important Phone Numbers And Addresses

Tax Deed Department
Clerk of the Circuit Court
P O Box 6043
DeLand, FL 32721
(386) 736-5919

Tax Collector's Office
County of Volusia
123 West Indiana Avenue
DeLand, FL 32720
(386) 736-5938
https://vctaxcollector.org/

Property Appraiser's Office
County of Volusia
123 West Indiana Avenue
DeLand, FL 32720
(386) 736-5901
vcpa.vcgov.org

Realauction Customer Service
861 SW 78th Avenue, Suite 102
Plantation, FL 33324
(877)361-7325
www.volusia.realtaxdeed.com www.customerservice@realaucction.com

The West Volusia Beacon
www.beacononlinenews.com