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Property Seizure for Forfeiture in Orange County

Was your property seized for forfeiture by law enforcement officers in Orange 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 Orange County, FL, that seize property for forfeiture include:

  • Florida Highway Patrol
  • Orange County Sheriff’s Office
  • Police Departments:
    • Apopka Police Department
    • Bay Lake Police Department
    • Eatonville Police Department
    • Edgewood Police Department
    • Maitland Police Department
    • Oakland Police Department
    • Ocoee Police Department
    • Orlando Police Department
    • Windermere Police Department
    • Winter Garden 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 Orange 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 Orange 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.

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Seizures for Forfeiture by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office

After a seizure for forfeiture by the Orange 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 Apopka Chief.

The notice typically provides:

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE NINTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT, IN AND FOR ORANGE COUNTY, FLORIDA
CASE NUMBER: 2024-CA-00xxxx-O
division number: xx
IN RE: FORFEITURE OF [description of property seized]
NOTICE OF FORFEITURE COMPLAINT
TO: [name of address of all known potential claimants] and all others who claim an interest in the above-referenced property, which was seized on or about the __th day of ____, 2024, at or near [address of seizure] in Orange County, Florida. Said property is in the custody of the Sheriff of Orange County. A Complaint for forfeiture has been filed in the above-styled Court.
I HEREBY CERTIFY that this Notice is being served pursuant to the notice provisions of Florida Statutes 932.701-707, this __th day of ____, 2024.
/s/ ________
Assistant General Counsel
Florida Bar No. _____
Orange County Sheriff’s Office
Legal Services
P.O. Box 1440
Orlando, FL 32802
(407) 254-7170

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This article was last updated on Friday, August 25, 2025.

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Asset forfeiture

Florida

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*The case results discussed here do not necssarily reflect the potential outcomes of other cases. The facts and circumstances of each case are unique and must be evaluated and handled on their own merit.

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