Tax Deed Sales - Can I just redeem and buy the property?

[Zach Staruch]

I'm in Lee County, Florida, which is a tax deed county, and recently attended my first online tax deed auction. A lot of the properties get redeemed by the owner before the sale and those that don't get redeemed obviously sell for more than the past-due tax amount.

Why can't I just reach out the the owner and offer to pay their past-due tax bill (so they can redeem it before the auction), and in exchange they sell the property to me for an agreed upon amount? I assume it's not that simple, otherwise everyone would do that. But what's preventing people from doing it?

I realize that a tax sale wipes out most liens, which could be advantageous in this situation. I also know that the owner will typically get the extra money after all taxes & fees are paid. But if we're talking a vacant lot worth only a few thousand dollars, why can't I just reach out and buy it from the owner directly as stated above?