Highlands County Florida Tax Deed Sales

Highlands County is located in central Florida (see map at http://www.floridacountiesmap.com). The county seat is Sebring, and the population in 2000 was 87366. You can visit the Highlands County website at http://www.hcbcc.net. 

Florida Tax Deed Process

A tax lien certificate holder must hold the tax lien for 22 months before they can apply for the tax deed. The property owner is notified of the action and if the taxes are still not paid within the 2-year redemption period, the property will be auctioned off by the Clerk of the Circuit Court to the highest bidder, in a public sale at the courthouse. The certificate holder can participate by bidding. Should there be no bidders at the sale, the property is deeded to the applicant. The highest bidder will receive a tax deed for the property. If the applicant is not the highest bidder, the applicant is refunded their money plus the interest accrued.

Rogue Real Estate Investor Collection contains detailed information on tax sales in all 50 states, including Florida tax deed sales.

Highlands County Tax Deed Sales

Information about tax deed sales is available on the Highlands County Clerk of Circuit Court's website at:

from http://www.clerk.co.highlands.fl.us/index_new.html click on "Tax Deed Sales"

If you have additional questions, you can contact the Clerk of Circuit Court at:

590 South Commerce Ave.
Sebring Florida 33870-3867
(863) 402-6564
http://www.clerk.co.highlands.fl.us/index_new.html

Florida Over-the-Counter Tax Deed Process

Properties for which no bids are received at the tax deed auction (usually when the tax deed application was made by the County) are placed on a "Lands Available for Taxes" list. The County may, at any time within the first 90 days from the day the property is placed on the list, purchase the property for the opening bid. After the 90-day period is over, anyone can purchase the property for the opening bid. Interest continues to accrue on the opening bid amount through the month of a sale of land purchased from this list.

Highlands County Lands Available for Taxes

Information about lands available for taxes is available on the Highlands County Clerk of Circuit Court's website at:

No information online

This information is often more difficult to obtain. If there is no information available online, contact the County and ask to speak with someone who knows about tax deed sales (often in the Public Records division). Explain that you want information on purchasing tax deeds that were not sold at public auction. The Clerk of Circuit Court for Highlands County can be contacted at:

590 South Commerce Ave.
Sebring Florida 33870-3867
(863) 402-6564
http://www.clerk.co.highlands.fl.us/index_new.html

Property Information

Information on a property subject to a tax deed sale, such as appraised value and structural improvements, is available at the Highlands County Property Appraiser's Office, located at:

560 S. Commerce Avenue
Sebring Florida 33870-3899
(863) 402-6659
http://www.appraiser.co.highlands.fl.us/index.shtml