If your property in Pinellas County, Florida was sold at a foreclosure or tax deed auction and the winning bid was more than the amount owed, the leftover balance is called a surplus. Those funds may rightfully belong to you.
Unfortunately, many Clearwater and St. Petersburg residents are first approached by for-profit surplus recovery companies that pressure former owners into signing contracts with steep fees. Surplus Advocates is different. We are a nonprofit surplus recovery organization dedicated to protecting Pinellas families, recovering funds ethically, and charging only fair nonprofit-based fees.
Start Your Free Review
Call 407‑SURPLUS (407‑787‑7587) or begin online to request a confidential case review. No upfront costs.
Clearwater • St. Petersburg • Largo • Pinellas Park • Dunedin • Tarpon Springs • Safety Harbor • Oldsmar
Mission-First Approach — Our role is to return funds to rightful owners, not to maximize profits.
Fair & Transparent Fees — No upfront cost. Our contingency fee only applies if we succeed.
Local Experience — We know Pinellas County’s courts, deadlines, and recovery procedures.
No Aggressive Tactics — We don’t use scare calls or hard sells.
Privacy & Security — Your information is kept secure and never sold.
When a foreclosure or tax deed sale in Pinellas County results in a winning bid above the judgment or debt owed, the remainder is called a surplus (sometimes called excess proceeds or an overbid).
Collecting these funds isn’t automatic. Strict rules and deadlines apply, and sometimes multiple parties file claims. Surplus Advocates manages this process from start to finish so you don’t have to navigate the paperwork or court procedures on your own.
Confirm Eligibility Quickly
File Court Documents Accurately & On Time
Defend Against Competing or Fraudulent Claims
Protect Your Privacy with Secure Processing
No Upfront Fees — Nonprofit-Based Contingency Only
Provide Clear Updates in Plain Language
We serve residents across Pinellas County, including:
Clearwater • St. Petersburg • Largo • Pinellas Park • Dunedin • Tarpon Springs • Safety Harbor • Oldsmar • Gulfport • Treasure Island • Seminole • Indian Rocks Beach • Madeira Beach • Belleair • Palm Harbor • and all other cities and beach communities.
Even if you’ve moved away, you may still be eligible for surplus recovery tied to your former Pinellas County property.
✔ No upfront fees
✔ Nonprofit-based, transparent contingency agreements
✔ Respectful, ethical outreach — no pressure tactics
✔ Local focus and consumer-first mission
A surplus (also called excess proceeds or an overbid) is money left after a court‑ordered sale when the winning bid exceeds the amounts owed. Surplus Advocates helps eligible owners and heirs recover funds that may be owed to them.
Our nonprofit mission means client protection, lower nonprofit‑based fees, and no high‑pressure tactics. We focus on returning funds to the right people, not maximizing commissions.
No. There are no upfront costs. Our nonprofit‑based contingency fee applies only if we recover funds and are paid out of the court registry at the same time the rest of the surplus is disbursed.
Some cases wrap up quickly, but others depend on the court’s schedule and whether competing claims exist. We’ll guide you through the timeline.
Yes. We routinely assist Floridians who have moved or are out of state. We coordinate everything securely.
Most clients do not. We manage the process and advise you if any additional steps are needed.
We serve residents across Pinellas County, including:
Clearwater • St. Petersburg • Largo • Pinellas Park • Dunedin • Tarpon Springs • Safety Harbor • Oldsmar • Gulfport • Treasure Island • Seminole • Indian Rocks Beach • Madeira Beach • Belleair • Palm Harbor • and all other cities and beach communities.
Call 407‑SURPLUS (407‑787‑7587) or request a confidential review online. We’ll confirm eligibility and outline next steps—no obligation.
It’s common to be solicited by multiple for-profit “surplus chasers.” Before you sign anything, talk with us—your nonprofit alternative.
Yes—surplus claims made with the court must be made within certain timeframes. Acting quickly is essential not only to ensure the claim is timely filed before the money is turned over to the state, but also to make sure no one tries to abscond with the money.
Surplus Advocates is a collective of experienced agents and professionals who have identified problems in the ways surplus funds are overseen and administered.In the course of our collective professions, we have witnessed millions of dollars being stolen from homeowners, and millions more lost to exploitation and unlawful fees. Occasionally a crime ring will make the news, or an attorney will be sent to jail or disciplined, but the same loopholes and oversights have been exploited year after year.We formed Surplus Advocates as a non-profit to help foreclosed owners and to show that there is a way for a private organization to recover tax deed and foreclosure surplus funds for owners without any additional cost to the government, and without engaging in exploitative practices. Unlike for-profit surplus chasers, who frequently only try to track down owners they can get the largest fees from, our goal is to help anyone, whenever possible, without charging any out of pocket fees. We then use the fees and costs we receive from the court registry to further our mission, rather than line our pockets.
© 2025 Surplus Advocates, Inc.
A Delaware Non-Profit Organization
All Rights Reserved
