Course · Lesson 3 of 8
Finding sales and reading your county's rules
Find where a county sells, and catch the deadline that isn't on the statewide list.
The deposit rule is statewide. Almost nothing else about the mechanics is. I read all 67 counties' own pages, and as of November 6, 2026, 44 sell online, 19 hold live sales, and 4 don't say on any page I could read.
- Addresses differ. Brevard, Charlotte, Manatee, Miami-Dade, St. Lucie and Walton sell through realforeclose.com, not realtaxdeed.com.
- Live means live. Madison sells on the courthouse steps, Sumter on the front steps of the historic courthouse, and Liberty at the courthouse door.
- Old pages lie. Gulf went back to live bidding, though an old auction page still exists.
The deadline that gets people
Funding deadlines are local. Volusia wants ACH deposits 4 full working days before the sale, and wires by 2:00 p.m. Eastern the business day before. Osceola wants funds settled by 3:00 p.m. the day before. If you find a parcel the week of a Volusia sale, an ACH deposit may already be too late.
The Florida Tax Deed Finder lists every county with the line each fact came from. Use it, then read that county's own rules anyway, because rules change.
Do this now
Pick your county in the Finder. Write down its sale site, its funding deadline, and how it wants the balance paid.
Check yourself
Is the 5 percent deposit statewide?
Yes. Section 197.542 sets it. Funding deadlines are set county by county.
Why can ACH be a trap?
It's the slowest route. In Volusia it has to arrive 4 full working days ahead, so a late find needs a wire.