Sammis Law Firm

Seminole

Property Seizure for Forfeiture in Seminole County

Was your property seized for forfeiture by law enforcement officers in Seminole County, FL? If so, act quickly to ensure your rights are protected and that you have the best chance of getting your property back quickly. Law enforcement agencies in Seminole County, FL, that seize property for forfeiture include:

  • Florida Highway Patrol (FHP)
  • Seminole County Sheriff’s Office
  • local police departments
    • Altamonte Springs Police Department
    • Casselberry Police Department
    • Lake Mary Police Department
    • Longwood Police Department
    • Oviedo Police Department
    • Sanford Police Department
    • Winter Springs Police Department

After your property is taken, you need an attorney who understands the Florida Contraband Forfeiture Act, the procedures used in forfeiture proceedings in Florida, and strategies for asserting all applicable defenses.

Attorneys for Civil Asset Forfeiture in Seminole County, FL

The attorneys at Sammis Law Firm can help you demand an adversarial preliminary hearing within 15 days of receiving the notice of seizure, file a claim, or answer a complaint for forfeiture filed in state court.

If your property was seized by deputies with the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office or officers in a local police department, contact an experienced civil asset forfeiture attorney at Sammis Law Firm. Our law firm is experienced in handling civil asset forfeiture cases across the state of Florida.

Call 813-250-0500.

Seizures for Forfeiture by the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office

After a seizure for forfeiture by the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, the agency will issue a “notice of seizure,” which is served on any known potential claimants. The agency will also publish a notice online. The online notice is published once a week for two (2) weeks in the Sanford Herald.

The notice typically provides:

To: [name of potential claimant(s)]and All parties having or claiming to have any right, title or interest in the property herein described.
YOU ARE NOTIFIED that on [date], DENNIS M. LEMMA, in his official capacity as THE SEMINOLE COUNTY SHERIFF, for Seminole County, Florida, filed the above
styled forfeiture action against the above-described property in the Circuit Court of the 18th Judicial Circuit of Florida, in and for Seminole County, which was seized on [date of seizure], near [address of seizure] in Seminole County, Florida.
An Order finding probable cause was issued by the Court on [date]. A copy of the aforementioned Complaint and Order are on file in the Office of the Clerk of the Courts for Seminole County, Florida, and are available for examination during regular business hours.
YOU ARE REQUIRED to serve a copy of your written defenses, if any; to the Complaint and Order, finding Probable Cause upon the Office of Chief Counsel for
the Seminole County Sheriffs Office whose address is 100 Eslinger Way, Sanford, Florida 32773 and file the Original with the Clerk of the Court, Seminole County, Florida.
Failure to file and serve such pleadings may result in the entry of a Default pursuant to Florida Rule of Civil Procedure 1.500, and a Final Order of Forfeiture.
This notice shall be published once a week for two (2) weeks in the Sanford Herald.
OFFICE OF CHIEF COUNSEL
Michael Lynch, Associate Counsel
Seminole County Sheriff’s Office
100 Eslinger Way
Sanford, Florida 32773

This article was last updated on Friday, June 14, 2024.