Property Seizure for Forfeiture in Lake County, FL

Was your property seized for forfeiture by law enforcement officers in Lake County, FL? If so, act quickly to ensure your rights are protected as you fight to get your property back quickly.

Law enforcement agencies in Lake County, FL, that seize property for forfeiture include:

Florida Highway Patrol
Lake County Sheriff’s Office
Astatula Police Department
Clermont Police Department
Eustis Police Department
Fruitland Park Police Department
Groveland Police Department
Howey-in-the-Hills Police Department
Lady Lake Police Department
Leesburg Police Department
Mascotte Police Department
Minneola Police Department
Mount Dora Police Department
Tavares Police Department
Umatilla Police Department

After your property is seized for forfeiture, 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 Lake 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 Lake 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 Florida.

Call 813-250-0500.

Seizures for Forfeiture by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office

After a seizure for forfeiture by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, the agency will issue a “notice of seizure,” which is served on any known potential claimants.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office will also file a motion or petition for an initial probable cause determination. If the court finds probable cause, the sheriff’s office in Lake County, FL, might next file a verified complaint for forfeiture naming PEYTON C. GRINNELL, in his official capacity as the Sheriff of Lake County, Florida, as the Plaintiff or Petitioner.

The agency will also publish a notice of the “complaint for forfeiture” proceeding. The online notice is published once a week for two (2) weeks in the North Lake Outpost.

The notice typically provides:

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE FIFTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT

IN AND FOR LAKE COUNTY, FLORIDA

IN RE: The Forfeiture of [description of seized property]

CASE NUMBER: 2024-CA-xxxxxx

NOTICE OF FORFEITURE PROCEEDINGS TO: [known potential claimant and claimant’s address] and any other persons who claim an interest in the following property: [description of property].

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office seized the above-described property on [date] in Lake County Florida. On [date], the Lake County Sheriff’s Office filed a Complaint For Forfeiture with the Clerk of the Circuit Court, Lake County Courthouse, located at 550 West Main Street, Tavares, Florida. The Complaint may be reviewed at the Clerk’s Office during regular business hours, Monday through Friday.

Any claimant desiring to contest the forfeiture of the above-described property must, within 20-days after receipt of the forfeiture complaint, file and serve responsive pleadings and affirmative defenses to the complaint on [attorney for the Lake County Sheriff’s Office] and must file the original responsive pleadings and defenses with the Clerk of the Circuit Court, either before service on the agency’s attorney or immediately thereafter.

Failure to file and serve such pleadings within said time period shall result in the entry of a default pursuant to Florida Rule of Civil Procedure 1.500(a), and a final order of forfeiture awarding the above-described property to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.