Polk County Clerk’s Unclaimed Funds Deadline Is Sept. 1. See if You Are on the List
There is money sitting in the Polk County Clerk’s office right now, and if it’s yours or belongs to someone you know, there is only one week left to claim it.
The Polk County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller has published its 2026 list of unclaimed court-related funds, with unclaimed payments totaling $85,677.37 that belong to 154 people and businesses. Individual amounts range from $100 to $7,290.86.
Anyone who believes they are owed money must submit a written claim with sufficient proof of ownership by Tuesday, Sept. 1. Claims can be started by calling the Clerk’s office at 863-534-4000.
“This money belongs to members of our community, and we want to return as much of it as possible before the deadline,” Clerk and Comptroller Stacy M. Butterfield, CPA, said in the announcement.
Butterfield encouraged residents to look beyond their own names as they scanned the list. Checking takes a few minutes, she said, and it could put money back in a reader’s pocket or help them alert a family member, friend or local business whose name appears.
Why the Clerk Is Holding the Money
These are not lottery winnings or forgotten savings accounts. The funds are checks the Clerk’s office issued in the ordinary course of court-related business that were never cashed or never reached the intended recipient. Addresses change, cases close, people move out of the county, and the funds sit in a file.
The office compiles and publishes the list annually as part of its role as county comptroller, which makes the money findable by the public rather than quietly absorbed.
What Happens if Nobody Claims It
The Sept. 1 deadline is not an office policy. It comes from Section 116.21 of the Florida Statutes, which governs unclaimed court-related property.
Under that statute, clerks are authorized to compile a list of unclaimed money each July and publish notice of it. If a claim is not filed within the time allowed, the statute states that all claims to the money are forever barred. Unclaimed court-related funds are then deposited into the county’s fine and forfeiture fund established under Section 142.01, and the clerk is released from further responsibility for them.
In plain terms, money that goes unclaimed after the deadline becomes county money.
How to Check and How to Claim
The unclaimed funds list is posted publicly under Public Notices on the Clerk’s website at polkclerkfl.gov, along with the office’s other required notices. Residents can review it for their own name, a maiden or former name, a deceased relative’s name, or the name of a business they own or previously operated.
The list, originally published on July 26, 2026, is below and should be considered informational only. Please direct any official questions to the County Clerk’s Office. To begin a claim, call the Clerk’s office at 863-534-4000 before Sept. 1. Claimants should be ready to submit the claim in writing and to provide documentation showing they are the rightful owner of the funds.
The Clerk’s office operates three locations in Polk County: the main office in Bartow at 255 N. Broadway Ave., the Lakeland office at 930 E. Parker St., Room 240, and the Northeast office at 200 Government Center Blvd. in Lake Alfred.
A phone call is free, but missing next week’s deadline could cost someone a few thousand dollars.
Sources: “Is Your Name on the List? Polk Clerk Has More Than $85,000 in Unclaimed Funds,” Polk County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller, polkclerkfl.gov; Polk County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller, polkclerkfl.gov; “Operation Green Light Week Helps Residents Get Back on the Road,” Polk County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller, polkclerkfl.gov, April 2026; Section 116.21, Florida Statutes, The Florida Senate, flsenate.gov; Section 142.01, Florida Statutes, The Florida Senate, flsenate.gov
