(1) When conflicting claims have been received by the department for the same unclaimed property account or accounts, the property shall be remitted in accordance with the claim filed by the person as follows, notwithstanding the withdrawal of a claim:(a) To the person submitting the first claim received by the Division of Unclaimed Property of the department that is complete or made complete.
(b) If a claimant’s claim and a claimant’s representative’s claim are received by the Division of Unclaimed Property of the department on the same day and both claims are complete, to the claimant.
(c) If a buyer’s claim and a claimant’s claim or a claimant’s representative’s claim are received by the Division of Unclaimed Property of the department on the same day and the claims are complete, to the buyer.
(d) As between two or more claimant’s representative’s claims received by the Division of Unclaimed Property of the department that are complete or made complete on the same day, to the claimant’s representative who has agreed to receive the lowest fee. If the two or more claimant’s representatives whose claims received by the Division of Unclaimed Property of the department were complete or made complete on the same day are charging the same lowest fee, the fee shall be divided equally between the claimant’s representatives.
(e) If more than one buyer’s claim received by the Division of Unclaimed Property of the department is complete or made complete on the same day, the department shall remit the unclaimed property to the buyer who paid the highest amount to the seller. If the buyers paid the same amount to the seller, the department shall remit the unclaimed property to the buyers divided in equal amounts.
(2) The purpose of this section is solely to provide guidance to the department regarding to whom it should remit the unclaimed property and is not intended to extinguish or affect any private cause of action that any person may have against another person for breach of contract or other statutory or common-law remedy. A buyer’s sole remedy, if any, shall be against the claimant’s representative or the seller, or both. A claimant’s representative’s sole remedy, if any, shall be against the buyer or the seller, or both. A claimant’s or seller’s sole remedy, if any, shall be against the buyer or the claimant’s representative, or both. Nothing in this section forecloses the right of a person to challenge the department’s determination of completeness in a proceeding under ss. 120.569 and 120.57. (3) A claim is complete when entitlement to the unclaimed property has been established.
