Florida · county auctions

Clay County, FLsheriff sales & tax auctions

No Clay County auctions are in our database right now. Many Florida counties sell monthly, quarterly or once a year, so an empty stretch is normal; we re-check nightly and the page fills in when a sale is scheduled.

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Tax sale

A tax deed issued by the clerk of court after the sale is paid. Under s. 197.552 no right, interest, restriction or covenant survives the tax deed except a lien of record held by a municipal or county governmental unit, special district or community development district that is not satisfied from the sale proceeds. Clerks sell 'as is' and warn their property information report 'is not a title search' (Alachua).

Redemption: None once the winning bid is paid in full. The owner (or anyone) can redeem the underlying tax certificate at any time before the tax deed is issued, i.e. right up until the clerk receives full payment for the deed (s. 197.472).
Deposit: A nonrefundable deposit of 5% of the bid or $200, whichever is greater, at the time of the sale (s. 197.542(2)). Clerks running electronic sales require that amount on deposit before you can bid (Alachua: hand-delivered by 3 p.m. the last business day before; ACH at least 4 days ahead).
Balance due: Full payment of the bid plus documentary stamp tax and recording fees within 24 hours of the sale, excluding weekends and legal holidays, or the deposit is forfeited and the property is re-sold (s. 197.542(2); Hernando, Lake, Alachua clerks). Cash, cashier's check, money order or wire; no personal checks.
To bid: Register on the county's realtaxdeed.com site and have your advance deposit settled with the clerk by the day before the sale (Lake: by 4 p.m. Eastern the day before). Deposits can stay on account for future sales.
Where: Online, county by county, at {county}.realtaxdeed.com (RealAuction); s. 197.542(4) lets clerks sell electronically instead of by public outcry. Sales start at 10:00 a.m. in Hernando.
When: Year-round on each clerk's calendar; a sale is scheduled whenever a certificate holder applies for a deed, which they may do 2 years after April 1 of the year the certificate was issued (s. 197.502(1)).

Watch out for

•The 24-hour clock is real: miss it and the 5%/$200 deposit is gone and you may be barred from future sales (Lake).
•The opening bid on homestead property includes one-half of the assessed value, not just the taxes (s. 197.542(1), 197.502).
•Governmental liens (county, municipal, special district, CDD) survive the tax deed if not paid from proceeds (s. 197.552); everything else is on you to research -- the clerk's report is not a title search.
•Mobile homes on the parcel are not included in the deed, and the current year's taxes may not be in the opening bid (Hernando).
•Tax certificate (lien) sales are a different auction run by the tax collector each spring: interest is bid down from an 18% cap in quarter-point steps (s. 197.172, 197.432) and a redeemed certificate earns at least 5% (s. 197.472).

Fla. Stat. 197.172 Fla. Stat. 197.432 Fla. Stat. 197.472 Fla. Stat. 197.502 Fla. Stat. 197.542 Fla. Stat. 197.552 Florida Dept. of Revenue -- county tax collector and clerk directory (tax certificates / tax deed sales)Florida Statutes Chapter 197 (tax collections, sales and liens)Florida Statutes 45.031 (judicial sales procedure)

Rules checked 2026-09-17 against flsenate.gov, alachuacounty.us, hernandoclerk.com, lakecountyclerkfl.gov. Terms vary by county — confirm Clay County's own notice and the linked source before you bid. Not legal advice.