“The 2020 Florida Statutes

Title XLVII
CRIMINAL PROCEDURE AND CORRECTIONS
Chapter 932
PROVISIONS SUPPLEMENTAL TO CRIMINAL PROCEDURE LAW
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932.7055 Disposition of liens and forfeited property.—
(1) When a seizing agency obtains a final judgment granting forfeiture of real property or personal property, it may elect to:
(a) Retain the property for the agency’s use;
(b) Sell the property at public auction or by sealed bid to the highest bidder, except for real property which should be sold in a commercially reasonable manner after appraisal by listing on the market; or
(c) Salvage, trade, or transfer the property to any public or nonprofit organization.
(2) Notwithstanding subsection (1), a seizing agency must destroy any image and the medium on which the image is recorded, including, but not limited to, a photograph, video tape, diskette, compact disc, or fixed disk made in violation of s. 810.145 when the image and the medium on which it is recorded is no longer needed for an official purpose. The agency may not sell or retain any image.
(3) If the forfeited property is subject to a lien preserved by the court as provided in s. 932.703(7)(b), the agency shall:
(a) Sell the property with the proceeds being used towards satisfaction of any liens; or
(b) Have the lien satisfied prior to taking any action authorized by subsection (1).
(4) The proceeds from the sale of forfeited property shall be disbursed in the following priority:
(a) Payment of the balance due on any lien preserved by the court in the forfeiture proceedings.
(b) Payment of the cost incurred by the seizing agency in connection with the storage, maintenance, security, and forfeiture of such property.
(c) Payment of court costs incurred in the forfeiture proceeding.
(5)(a) If the seizing agency is a county or municipal agency, the remaining proceeds shall be deposited in a special law enforcement trust fund established by the board of county commissioners or the governing body of the municipality. Such proceeds and interest earned therefrom shall be used for school resource officer, crime prevention, safe neighborhood, drug abuse education and prevention programs, or for other law enforcement purposes, which include defraying the cost of protracted or complex investigations, providing additional equipment or expertise, purchasing automated external defibrillators for use in law enforcement vehicles, and providing matching funds to obtain federal grants. The proceeds and interest may not be used to meet normal operating expenses of the law enforcement agency.
(b) These funds may be expended upon request by the sheriff to the board of county commissioners or by the chief of police to the governing body of the municipality, accompanied by a written certification that the request complies with the provisions of this subsection, and only upon appropriation to the sheriff’s office or police department by the board of county commissioners or the governing body of the municipality.”