The state of Florida has $54,000 with former President Donald Trump’s name on it.
The money, held by the state’s Division of Unclaimed Property, might not seem like a lot amid the $100 million that the former president has reportedly paid in legal bills since leaving office in 2021.
Then again, he has been selling custom shoes and taking a cut of Bible sales in recent months. Every bit of income helps, right?
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Jimmy Patronis, Florida’s chief financial officer, wants to help Trump. A few months after his legislative bill to create a $5 million pool to help pay Trump’s legal bills was shot down by a veto threat from Gov. Ron DeSantis, Patronis sent “President Trump” a fawning letter inviting him to claim his money.
“There are some very, very nasty people coming after you, and every dollar matters in your efforts to fight back against these radical state attorneys who have weaponized the courts,” Patronis wrote in a letter bearing the Chief Financial Officer seal.
“We need you and your team to have every resource possible to get through these BS charges so you can get back to work in Making America Great Again!”
The Division of Unclaimed Property is where money and goods go when their owners forget about them. Most of it is turned over by banks, insurance and utility companies, according to the Department of Financial Services’ website.
Patronis explained that the division conducted a search for unclaimed property using the term TRUMP and discovered more than $54,000 “to be claimed by you, your family, and your businesses or properties throughout the state of Florida.”
He invited Trump to visit the website FLTreasureHunt.gov or contact him personally.
“I would be happy to process any and all requests so that we can return your unclaimed property to you as soon as possible,” Patronis wrote. “My door is always open, and my phone is ready to take your call.”
A search of the site using the word “Trump” revealed just three unclaimed amounts under the name Donald Trump. The largest amount — $9,108.42 — was turned in by PayPal for a Donald Trump with an address in Ormond Beach.
Another $114.72 was also turned in by PayPal. It belongs to Donald Trump, but there’s no address.
FedEx turned over $354.69 that the website says belongs to Donald Trump at 1094 S. Ocean Blvd., West Palm Beach. That’s the address of Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s South Florida home.
Other amounts, belonging to numerous businesses that bear Trump’s name, include:
— Trump Spa at Trump National Doral, $124,50 reported by Blackhawk Network Inc.
— Trump International Golf West Palm, $25.62
— Trump Institute, $448.07, a refund from Yahoo
— Trump Organization, $3,000, cashier’s checks from JP Morgan Chase Bank
— Trump Miami Catering, $900, credit balances on accounts with the Coca Cola Company.
— Trump Real Estate Investments, $122.02, Florida Power & Light utility deposits.
Other money is owed to Trump International Beach Resort, Sunny Isles Beach; Trump International Golf Club, West Palm Beach; Trump Miami Catering, Doral; Trump Miami Resorts, Doral; Trump National Doral; Trump Royale, Sunny Isles Beach.
There’s also money listed under the names Trump Tower, Trump Tower II, and Trump Towers, all in Sunny Isles Beach.
But the “Trump” search also turns up numerous names not directly connected to the former president, including Cooper Van Trump of Winter Park; Chester Trump III of Graceville; and Trump Wholesale Pharmaceuticals of Miami.
The South Florida Sun Sentinel asked the Department of Financial Services for an itemized list identifying the $54,000 in unclaimed funds that Patronis referenced. (This story will be updated if such a list is provided.)
This isn’t the first time that Patronis has gone out of his way to offer financial help to Trump.
In January, he promoted a bill to create a “Freedom Fighters Fund” that would provide up to $5 million in “financial support to Florida residents running for President who face legal, partisan, political attacks by the Department of Justice or State Attorneys.”
In the news release announcing the bill, Patronis said, “It’s in Florida’s best interest to make sure their champion for the President is allowed a fair shot at the White House without being taken down by some fake witch-hunt.”
Gov. Ron DeSantis immediately shot down the idea, posting on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he wields a veto pen.
As of Tuesday afternoon, no one from the Trump organization has come forward to request the $54,000 in unclaimed funds, a Patronis spokesman said.
Patronis’ news release on Tuesday also reminded the public that they might have some money waiting to be claimed as well, presumably without regard to which candidate they support for president.
They can check for themselves at FLTreasureHunt.org.
Ron Hurtibise covers business and consumer issues for the South Florida Sun Sentinel. He can be reached by phone at 954-356-4071, on Twitter @ronhurtibise or by email at rhurtibise@sunsentinel.com.
