The purpose of the sale of tax deeds is to satisfy delinquent property taxes. This is accomplished through the sale of real property at auctions held by the Clerk of the Circuit Court. Please refer to Florida Statutes Chapter 197 for a complete understanding of Tax Deeds.

Property owners are required to pay property taxes on an annual basis to the County Tax Collector. If the owner fails to pay his/her taxes, a tax certificate will be sold by the Tax Collector. Real estate taxes become delinquent each year on April 1st.

A tax certificate, when purchased, becomes an enforceable first lien against the real estate. The certificate holder is paying for the taxes for a property owner in exchange for a competitive bid rate of return on his/her investment. In order to remove the lien, the property owner must pay the Tax Collector all delinquent taxes plus accrued interests penalties, and advertising fees. A tax certificate is valid for seven years from the date of issuance. The holder may apply for a tax deed as of April 1st of the second year from the date of purchase. If the property owner fails to pay the tax debt, the property is sold at public auction. For more information about tax certificates, you should contact the County Tax Collector’s Office.

The tax deed sales will be held on line at www.osceola.realtaxdeed.com. Each participant wishing to place a bid on a property, must first register at www.osceola.realtaxdeed.com, then submit the required deposit with the Clerk’s Office no later than 3:00 p.m. on the day prior to the sale.

For each piece of property purchased, the successful high bidder is required to have funds settled in the Clerk’s account to cover the non-refundable deposit equal to a minimum of exactly five percent (5%) of the final bid or $200.00, whichever is greater, at the time of the sale.

Once a sale has been completed, the successful high bidder must remit to the Clerk, the balance of the high bid along with the recording fee and state documentary stamps of $0.70 per $100.00 of the bid. The remainder of the bid is due in the Clerk’s Office within 24 hours following the sale. Payment must be made in the form of cash and/or cashier’s check, and must be drawn from a U.S. bank, and issued in U.S. Dollars.

Please visit www.osceola.realtaxdeed.com for detail information regarding the bidding process.

Please note that in accordance with section 197.542(2), Florida Statutes, the Clerk may refuse to recognize the bid of any person who has previously bid and refused, for any reason, to honor such bid.

Tax deed sales are a BUYER BEWARE situation. All potential bidders are encouraged to conduct their own independent research prior to bidding on any properties. The Clerk’s Office is not responsible for any encumbrances on properties purchased through a tax deed sale.

The purchase of a tax deed does NOT warrant or guarantee clear and marketable title. Neither the Clerk of the Circuit Court for Osceola County, Florida, nor the Tax Collector for Osceola County, Florida, warrant or guarantee clear and marketable title.

Please note that all tax deed properties are sold subject to additional years’ taxes, which may or may not be included in the opening bid. Therefore, prior to bidding, the Clerk’s Office recommends that you contact the Tax Collector’s Office to inquire whether any additional taxes are due for which the successful bidder will be responsible.

*NOTE*: 

Properties sold during a tax deed 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 and/or from the “List of Lands Available for Taxes” is sold “AS IS” without any warranties or representations of any kind or character, expressed 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.

The Clerk’s Office does not offer legal advice. For any legal question regarding any tax deed certificate, applying for a tax deed, tax deed sales, or land title resulting from the issuance of any Tax Deed, please consult with your attorney and/or refer to the Florida Statutes.

For a list of properties available for sale and their estimated opening bids, please visit the official tax deed sale site for Osceola County at https://www.osceola.realtaxdeed.com/index.cfm.

The properties scheduled for sale are advertised in the Osceola News Gazette.

To claim excess overbid funds after a sale, submit the Affidavit of Claim for Tax Deed Sale Surplus Funds to the Clerk’s Office at: Kelvin Soto, Esq., Osceola County Clerk of the Court, Tax Deed Department, 2 Courthouse Square, Kissimmee, FL 34741.

Chapter 197, Florida Statutes http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/Chapter_197

Osceola Tax Collector http://www.osceolataxcollector.com/

Osceola Property Appraiser http://property-appraiser.org/

Osceola County Board of County Commissioners http://www.osceola.org/

Florida Department of Financial Services https://www.fltreasurehunt.org/