What are Santa Rosa county Florida’s laws on buying boats at lien auctions?

1. How boats end up at lien auctions: the legal basis and who may sell them

Florida law authorizes maritime and statutory liens for work, storage, docking, fueling or similar charges and permits lienholders—commonly marinas and boatyards—to pursue sale of an unclaimed vessel to recover unpaid fees; the practice is governed by statutes cited in guidance for vessel lien procedures ^{[1] [2]}. Private websites and industry groups reiterate that Florida Statute §328.17 and related provisions give marinas the right to file a vessel lien and eventually dispose of the vessel by public sale after required steps are taken ^{[1] [2]}.

2. Required process before an auction: notice and waiting periods

Before a sale can occur, lienholders must follow statutory notice and timing rules: a lienholder generally must wait roughly three months after the payment was due before selling the vessel, and must give public notice of the sale by posting notices for a set period (commonly at least 10 days in multiple public places) and otherwise comply with statutory pre-sale procedures ^[2]. These procedural safeguards are the biggest legal protection a purchaser has that the seller followed proper steps, but buyers are warned to verify that notices and filings were correctly completed.

3. Distinguishing vessel-lien sales from county tax and judicial auctions

Santa Rosa County runs distinct tax-certificate and judicial sales (for real property) under separate statutes and platforms; those auctions concern delinquent real-estate taxes and foreclosure sales and are not the mechanism for marina lien sales of vessels ^{[6] [7] [8]}. Vessel lien sales are handled under maritime and vessel-lien statutes and commonly conducted by the lienholder or under county clerk supervision depending on how the lien was pursued ^{[2] [8]}.

4. Title, registration, and transfer after purchase: county requirements and fees

Florida is a title state for motorized vessels; buyers who obtain a vessel at lien sale must secure a Florida certificate of title and register the vessel through the county tax collector or license plate agent, paying titling and registration fees and any unpaid sales tax ^{[3] [4]}. Santa Rosa’s tax collector lists the local titling fees—$5.25 for electronic title, $7.75 for paper, or $11 expedited—and notes an additional $1 to record each existing lien, and the DHSMV requires evidence of sales-tax payment or a tax receipt when titling ^{[4] [3]}.

5. Risks for buyers: title defects, other liens, and “no salvage” context

Purchasing at a vessel lien auction carries the risk of competing claims and title defects; Florida has no common‑law salvage title that automatically vests ownership in a finder, and law-enforcement handling of derelict vessels can result in transfers by bill of sale only after investigations, so buyers should confirm that the seller had the legal authority to convey title and that other liens do not remain on the vessel ^{[9] [2]}. The county clerk’s guidance for judicial sales emphasizes buyer due diligence and warns that titles issued after sales may not be free of potential claims—an implicit caution that applies where auctions intersect with court-ordered procedures ^[8].

6. Practical steps and remaining reporting gaps

Prospective buyers should verify the lien sale’s statutory compliance and obtain documentation of the auction, confirm payment of any documentary taxes required by the clerk, and then apply for title at the Santa Rosa tax collector with the appropriate fees and proof of sales-tax payment ^{[8] [4] [3]}. Reporting reviewed does not supply a single Santa Rosa County checklist specific to marina lien auctions or a county-run vessel-auction calendar, so local marinas, the Santa Rosa County Clerk, and the tax collector remain the direct sources for case‑specific procedures and records ^{[1] [9]}.