The Financial Accountability for Public Funds program promotes financial accountability for public funds throughout state government and provides Florida's citizens comprehensive information on the financial status of the state and how state funds are expended. The program also recovers and returns unclaimed property to owners., and is responsible for state financial information and state agency accounting.

The program fulfills its mission by delivering services through the Division of Accounting and Auditing and the Division of Unclaimed Property.
The Division of Accounting and Auditing has four bureaus and one office.

• The Bureau of Auditing performs audits and settles the claims of the state using various methods. The bureau audits grant agreements funded with federal and state monies as well as contractual services agreements. The Chief Financial Officer also issues memorandums that provide additional audit requirements.
• The Bureau of Financial Reporting completes and manages the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR), manages various funds, and collects and reconciles the annual financial reports. The bureau also collects and compiles financial data from local governments via the Local Governmental Electronic Reporting System.
• The Bureau of State Payrolls maintains all state employee payroll records, processes payroll, maintains the collection system for involuntary payroll deductions, and is responsible for the timeliness and accuracy of payroll tax deposits to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). State employees can check their earnings statement and W-2 information online.
• The Bureau of Vendor Relations processes applications to set up or change electronic funds transfers (EFTs) for vendors, retirees, and employees with a focus on vetting applicants as a fraud prevention measure. It is also responsible for the processes associated with Form 1099s and serves as the Vendor Ombudsman, which is responsible for vendor payment issues.
• The Office of Florida Financial Education provides state agencies and vendors with resources and effective instructional programs to enable them to have greater knowledge, skills, and responsibility for fiscal management and accurate reporting of the state's resources in order to provide services to the citizens of Florida.

The Division of Unclaimed Property holds money and securities, mostly from dormant accounts in financial institutions, insurance and utility companies, securities, and trust holdings. In addition to money and securities, unclaimed property includes tangible items such as watches, jewelry, coins, currency, stamps, historical items and other miscellaneous articles from abandoned safe deposit boxes. Unclaimed money is deposited into the state school fund, where it is used for public education. There is no statute of limitations and citizens have the right to claim their property any time at no cost.

The public can search for unclaimed property through the Division of Unclaimed Property's Florida Treasure Hunt website, which provides individuals the opportunity to discover and claim their own unclaimed property. The website also provides links to other sites that individuals can visit to search for unclaimed property. These sites include other states' unclaimed property programs, in-state resources such as the unclaimed refunds site for the Florida Prepaid College Program, and national resources such as the undelivered tax refunds site for the Internal Revenue Service.

The Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) provides Florida citizens and other interested parties with information about the state's financial condition. The report includes a comprehensive presentation of the state's financial and operating activities, including financial statements, an independent auditor's report, and statistical and economic data.

The department maintains the Florida Accountability Contract Tracking System (FACTS), which is an online tool that provides a centralized, statewide contract reporting system. As part of this initiative, state agencies record their active contracts into the system. FACTS also contains contract images, financial information, and audit findings of all grant and contract documents, along with a query tool to provide users and the public with access to the information.

Replacing the State's Accounting and Cash Management Systems. The state's current accounting application and cash management systems (CMS) have been performing these functions for over 40 and 30 years, respectively, and are increasingly unable to meet the state's needs. The 2013 Legislature directed the department to contract with an independent third-party consulting firm to complete a study of the Florida Accounting Information Resource Subsystem (FLAIR) and provide a recommendation to replace or enhance it and include an assessment of the feasibility of implementing an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. The Legislature authorized the creation of the Florida PALM (Planning, Accounting, and Ledger Management) Project to design, develop, and implement a financial management solution (FMS).

Upcoming Events in the PALM Implementation Timeline

• Agency Current State Analysis (Dec 2022-Dec 2023): At the completion of this phase, agencies will be expected to fully understand and have documented their business systems, processes, and current reporting. At this time, end users will understand Florida PALM is coming January 2026, understand what they are doing in FLAIR, and understand it is being replaced.
• Agency Transformation Planning (July 2023-April 2024): At the completion of this phase, agencies will be expected to have created an agency specific transformation plan and end users will be able to identify basic differences between Florida PALM and FLAIR.

Other Reports
Florida Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2022, Department of Financial Services, March 2023
Department of Financial Services - Florida Accounting Information Resource Subsystem (FLAIR) and Selected Information Technology General Controls - Information Technology Operational Audit, Auditor General Report 2023-097, January 2023
Department of Financial Services - Florida Accounting Information Resource Subsystem (FLAIR) and Selected Information Technology General Controls - Information Technology Operational Audit, Auditor General Report 2022-128, February 2022
Department of Financial Services - Florida Accounting Information Resource Subsystem (FLAIR) - Information Technology Operational Audit, Auditor General Report 2020-095, January 2020
Audits and Reviews, Division of Accounting and Auditing

Websites of Interest
National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators
Claim for Lost, Stolen, or Destroyed United States Savings Bonds

Performance Information

Performance measures and standards for the department may be found in its Long Range Program Plan.

Chapters 17 (chief financial officer), 215 (financial matters of the state), 216 (planning and budgeting), 218 (financial matters for political subdivisions of the state), 717 (unclaimed property), and s. 20.121 (organization of the department), Florida Statutes

Division of Accounting and Auditing: Director's Office
850-413-5510
Website

Division of Unclaimed Property
FloridaUnclaimedProperty@myfloridacfo.com 
Submit an online contact request
Website