Treasure hunt nears $1B

Call it Florida's largest lost-and-found.

The Bureau of Unclaimed Property is part of the state's Department of Financial Services. Its job is to connect unclaimed funds and lost valuables to those who have the right to it.

And soon, that bureau will reach a major milestone under the tenure of state CFO Jeff Atwater: $1 billion in returns.

“Whether we're holding a $50 deposit from a now-closed utility account, or $1,000 from a forgotten savings account, it's your money, and it's our job to get it back to you,” Atwater says in a release.

The bureau was created in 1961, and has since returned $2.5 billion in lost funds. Atwater has led the program since 2011, and already has accounted for 40% of all funds returned during the program's 50-year history. He credits a massive outreach program his office put together, instead of waiting for people who think they might have lost money to visit the bureau's website.

Even with all this money given back, there is still plenty more to go around. Florida law requires banks, insurance and utility companies and other organizations to turn over dormant accounts to the state. The original owner or an heir can then claim funds.

Atwater is only halfway to his goal of cleaning out all the accounts. There is still another $1 billion waiting to be claimed, all found at the aptly named FLTreasureHunt.org website.

One in five Florida residents have unclaimed property in their name, Atwater says. “I encourage all Floridians to visit our website to search for lost treasure of their own.”