Lee County, FLsheriff sales & tax auctions

Florida mortgage foreclosures are judicial and the CLERK of court, not the sheriff, runs the sale. After the sale the clerk files a certificate of sale; if no objection is filed within 10 days the clerk issues a certificate of title (s. 45.031). Sold 'AS IS' with no warranties (Pasco).

Redemption

None after the certificate of sale is filed. The mortgagor's right of redemption ends at the later of the clerk's filing of the certificate of sale or the time set in the judgment (s. 45.0315).

Deposit

5% of the final bid, posted with the clerk at the time of sale (s. 45.031(3)). In practice every RealForeclose county requires a 5% advance deposit on account before you can bid (Hillsborough, Pasco).

Balance due

Set by each clerk, and short: Hillsborough -- balance plus doc stamps and registry fee by 12:00 p.m. the next business day; Pasco -- by 4:00 p.m. the day of the sale. Missing it forfeits the deposit and the clerk re-advertises (s. 45.031(3)). Final payment by wire, cash or cashier's check; ACH is not accepted for the balance.

To bid

Register on the county's realforeclose.com site and fund the 5% deposit in advance (Hillsborough: cash/cashier's check by 4:00 p.m. the day before; ACH needs about 5 business days to clear).

Where

Online at {county}.realforeclose.com (RealAuction); s. 45.031(10) authorizes electronic sales.

When

Year-round; large counties sell every weekday (Hillsborough: Monday-Friday at 10:00 a.m.). The judgment sets the date, 20-35 days out (s. 45.031(1)).

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