Who pays closing costs in Florida? The honest answer is both sides do, but which fees land on which side depends on local custom, not state law. Across the Tampa Bay area, that custom looks different from what it does in Miami or Fort Lauderdale, which catches many relocating buyers and sellers off guard. Highlights Florida law does not dictate who pays closing costs. Local custom decides most of it, and Tampa Bay custom differs from South Florida custom. Sellers typically pay the owner's title insurance policy and the documentary stamp tax on the deed across the Tampa Bay area. Buyers...