Sarasota County, FL tax sales
Sarasota County, Florida sells both tax lien certificates and tax deeds. The Tax Collector runs an annual certificate sale (18% maximum, bid down), and unredeemed certificates move to a Clerk of the Circuit Court tax deed auction after about two years, under Florida Statutes Chapter 197.
Verified Jul 4, 2026 against official county and state sources.
New here? Read how Florida tax sales work, the difference between a lien and a deed, and redemption periods.
How Sarasota County sells delinquent taxes
Tax certificate sale (lien)
- Run by
- Sarasota County Tax Collector
- Frequency
- annual
- Typical timing
- On or before June 1 annually (2026 certificates awarded June 1, 2026)
- Next expected
- on or about June 1, 2027 (window; exact date posts closer to the sale)
Registration and deposit
No bidding deposit is required to register or bid, which is unusual for Florida. Bidder registration on LienHub opens in early May, and certificates are awarded in batches that close hourly on the sale date. Accounts previously held on RealAuction were transferred to LienHub.
Sarasota moved its certificate sale from RealAuction to LienHub and requires no bidder deposit.
Register on LienHub (Grant Street Group)Tax deed sale
- Run by
- Sarasota Clerk of the Circuit Court and County Comptroller
- Frequency
- As scheduled by the Clerk (see the auction calendar)
- Sale list
- List of Lands Available
Registration and deposit
Register on the RealAuction site and fund your account. A deposit equal to 5 percent of your winning bid or $200, whichever is greater, must be available in your auction account before the auction starts.
Tax deed auctions run on RealAuction at sarasota.realtaxdeed.com; unsold parcels move to the Clerk's List of Lands Available.
Register on RealTaxDeed (RealAuction)Over-the-counter (leftover) purchases
Two paths. Certificates unsold at the June sale become county-held and can be purchased from the Tax Collector. Separately, parcels that do not sell at a tax deed auction are placed on the Clerk's List of Lands Available for up to three years.
New to this path? Read how over-the-counter certificates work.
County offices
Notes for Sarasota County
- Sarasota splits the two sales the standard Florida way: the Tax Collector runs the annual certificate sale and the Clerk of the Circuit Court runs the tax deed auctions.
- The certificate sale moved from RealAuction to LienHub, and unusually for Florida it requires no bidding deposit to participate.
- The tax deed auction runs on RealAuction at sarasota.realtaxdeed.com, with a List of Lands Available for parcels that do not sell.
Florida statewide rules
- Redemption
- The owner (or anyone) can redeem a certificate at any time after it is issued and before a tax deed is issued. The two-year clock that lets a certificate holder apply for a tax deed runs from April 1 of the year the certificate was issued.
- Deed deposit
- The high bidder posts a nonrefundable deposit of 5 percent of the bid or $200, whichever is greater, at the time of the sale, applied to the final price.
- Homestead deeds
- If the property was assessed as homestead on the latest roll, the opening bid also adds one-half of its latest assessed value. This sharply raises the floor price on homestead parcels and suppresses investor demand for them.
A tax deed does not convey marketable title. Most buyers file a quiet title action before they can resell or insure the property. See the due diligence guide.
Frequently asked questions
Does Sarasota County, Florida sell tax liens or tax deeds?
- Sarasota County follows Florida's hybrid system. The Tax Collector sells tax-lien certificates each year, and the Clerk of the Circuit Court holds tax deed auctions on parcels whose certificates go unredeemed after about two years.
When is the Sarasota County tax certificate sale?
- On or before June 1 annually (2026 certificates awarded June 1, 2026). Registration and bidding happen on the county's online platform. Always confirm the exact date with the Tax Collector before the sale.
Tax Sale Atlas publishes educational information about public tax sale processes. This is not legal, financial, or investment advice. Rules, dates, and fees change; confirm with the county office before you bid.
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