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Florida Seized Property Response Kit

JusticeXpress Florida

Self-Help Tool · Forfeiture

Seized Property Response Kit

If Florida law enforcement has seized your cash, vehicle, or other property, your most important deadline is short and easy to miss. Enter your dates to see exactly when you must act — then build a certified-mail letter demanding an adversarial preliminary hearing under section 932.703, Florida Statutes.

1

Calculate your deadline

The day the property was actually taken.
Your 15-day clock runs from the day you received notice.
Enter the date you received your notice to see your hearing-request deadline.
Don’t wait until the last day. Day-counting rules can shift a deadline that lands on a weekend or court holiday, and mail takes time. Treat the date above as firm and send your request as early as you can. This tool gives an estimate based on the dates you enter — you are responsible for confirming the real deadline.
2

Build your hearing-request letter

The agency that took your property — it’s named on your notice.
Use the return address on your certified-mail notice.
Your packet preview (updates as you type)

Get your free mail-ready packet

It’s free — we just ask for your email so we can send your forfeiture deadline reminder and a copy of your packet. Enter it to unlock the full letter plus the certified-mail instructions, addressing sheet, proof log, and checklist.

Your email is used only to send your deadline reminder and packet. No spam, no sales pitch, unsubscribe anytime.
Drafted for personal property (cash, a vehicle, electronics, etc.). Real estate is different — homes generally go through a pre-seizure hearing with a lis pendens rather than this post-seizure request. If real property is involved, the timeline and procedure change, and professional help is especially valuable.

How to send it so it counts

  1. Send by certified mail, return receipt requested. The statute requires the written request go to the seizing agency this way — a regular letter or email may not satisfy it.
  2. Keep proof. Save the certified-mail receipt and the green return-receipt card. Photograph the sealed, addressed envelope before mailing.
  3. Mail before your deadline — the date shown in Step 1 — and as early as possible.
  4. Keep a copy of the signed letter for your records.
This is a self-help document-preparation tool, not legal advice. JusticeXpress Florida is operated by a non-attorney legal document preparer. We complete documents at your direction and provide general published legal information; we cannot advise you on your rights, recommend a strategy, or select forms for you. The deadline shown is an estimate based on the dates you enter and does not account for every day-computation, weekend, or holiday rule. Statutory procedures and dollar amounts can change. Forfeiture deadlines are short and missing one can permanently cost you your property — consider consulting a licensed Florida attorney, and note that your local bar association, legal aid, or legal services office may offer free or low-cost help.
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