In re Forfeiture of $21,650.00 in United States Currency & Miscellaneous Jewelry

In this civil forfeiture case, the only question we address is whether there was sufficient, clear and convincing evidence that a large sum of cash was to be used in furtherance of a criminal enterprise, or whether there was an entitlement to a directed verdict as a matter of law. The trial judge ruled it was a jury question. We reverse.

The sum of $21,650 was discovered by a police officer in a briefcase located in the trunk of a vehicle.1 In Department of Law Enforcement v. Real Property, 588 So.2d 957, 968 (Fla.1991), our Supreme Court held that the government may not take an individual’s…