The inaugural Putnam County online tax auction debuted May 23 at 9:00 a.m. EDT. After new listings were posted hourly, the auction ended successfully at 5:00 p.m. on May 25.

Through the new electronic bidding, over 1,000 more certificates were sold in 2005 than 2004. The Putnam County Tax office, located in Palatka, Florida, decided to utilize the Internet's accessibility to provide convenience and improved service to taxpayers. Previously, physical presence in a large meeting room was required, with bids verbally submitted. Online, bids are not visible to others, and an item preview is featured.

No fee was due; however, each bidder was required to deposit 10 percent of the amount of certificates they anticipated winning. Special software and hardware was not necessary, and training was available.

The Putnam County Tax office partnered with two Florida-based companies, RealAuction and TEKgroup International, Inc., to create http://www.putnamtaxsale.com. "With an online auction, a county can reduce the amount of delinquent taxes it has to write off," stated Lloyd McClendon III, CEO of RealAuction.com and Realestat.com. "Time investment is well worth it with setup taking only about a week."