An unusual town hall meeting hosted by Seat 2 Councilmember Sue Ellen Loyzelle on Thursday, Mar. 27, will help hundreds of Cutler Bay residents find “hidden treasure.”
Loyzelle, working in conjunction with state officials, has identified more than 400 citizens and businesses who have money owed to them of which they are unaware.
More than $200,000 in total is owed to those individuals and businesses that have been found to date. The State of Florida Chief Financial Officer currently holds unclaimed property accounts valued at more than $1 billion, mostly from dormant accounts in financial institutions, insurance and utility companies, securities and trust holdings. There also may be tangible property such as watches, jewelry, coins, currency, stamps, historical items and other miscellaneous articles from abandoned safe deposit boxes.
The meeting is scheduled from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Cutler Bay Town Hall Council Chambers, located at 10720 Caribbean Blvd., Suite 115. Seating opens at 6:30 p.m.
“I have been finding money since 1999 for my job, friends, family and neighbors, and thought it would be a great community service to teach the residents in our town how to claim funds from the state,” Loyzelle said. “I reached out to the Florida Department of Financial Services, Bureau of Unclaimed Property and asked for their assistance in conducting a workshop for our residents and business owners.”
Loyzelle explained that state officials have never done a workshop quite like this but after a great deal of discussion with her they agreed to try it. Normally they have workshops telling business owners how to turn unclaimed property over to the state, but not telling folks how to claim their funds.
“The team at the state level has been remarkable by assisting me in pulling information for our area and working with me through this process,” Loyzelle said. “I hope those individuals, businesses and heirs of those listed come on out to learn how to claim what is rightfully theirs. We will not only touch on the Florida System for claiming but also how to search for funds in other states.”
Loyzelle stresses that it is a free service and there is no cost to claiming these funds.
The workshop portion of the meeting will be conducted by the Florida Department of Financial Services, Bureau of Unclaimed Properties. People (or their heirs) and businesses named in the list that will be posted on the Cutler Bay Town website are urged to attend the meeting to learn how to claim these funds. Volunteers will be available at 8 p.m. to assist people in printing out the claim form. Seating is limited.
“I find money all the time for my neighbors and friends,” Loyzelle said. “The largest amount for one of my neighbors was $5,000 that was left to her by her aunt in a will. I like to see the smiles on people’s faces when I tell them they have money.”
For more information email sloyzelle@cutlerbay-fl.gov or call Town Hall at 305-234-4262. The town’s website is at www.cutlerbay-fl.gov/.
