In reading some of the posts regarding the clearing of liens on a tax deed property, I have seen some conflicting information.
For FLORIDA in particular, any county liens are attached to the property (code violation/utility bills), and are not “erased” like the mortgage.
If the premium bid is sufficient to cover outstanding tax certificates AND the county leans, these monies are used to clear those liens.
What happens in the case of the bid being less than the total owed on these liens? Let’s say the bidding goes up to 30k, and there are 10k in outstanding certificates/taxes, and 40k in code violations (years worth) and utility bills (a total of 50K). 10K of the winning bid would go to pay off those outstanding certificates, then the remaining 20K of the winning big towards the county liens. However, there is a 10K deficit, so does the winner of the tax deed have to pay off this remaining balance to clear these liens? I have read in one posting that the new tax deed “winner” is responsible to pay off any difference, and in another it stated the county would “negotiate” on the balance. In yet another, I read regardless of the winning bid, the county liens would be cleared and the county just takes the “loss”. So much to learn, and so many possibilities. I know each state is different.