JSO to auction forfeited, seized items

Registration for auction starts at 9 a.m. Thursday at Metro Park Lot F

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – You have the chance to buy a car or other high-end items at a discount Thursday. The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office is auctioning items that were either forfeited or seized.

For this auction the Sheriff's Office said some of the high end items are a couple of luxury cars, an ATV and some watches, but they have 45 items that will be available.

Full list of items available at the Forfeited and Seized Merchandise Auction

They said this event is great because it gets items out of the hands of drug dealers and into the hands of deserving people.

"Most of the items this round are from narcotics seizures. I think the BMW we had was from a heroin seizure they're used a lot to transport narcotics," said JSO Lieutenant Ray Beltz.

Getting criminals off the streets and giving the people of Jacksonville an opportunity, that's what Beltz said about the Forfeited and Seized Merchandise Auction they typically host four times a year.

The next auction is Thursday, with registration starting at 9 a.m. and the auction starting at 10 a.m.

For most items, a $100 cash deposit will be required that morning, and the remainder must be paid by cash or certified check by 2 p.m. that day.

Some items that Beltz said are higher quality, require a larger deposit.

"There are items that have a minimum bid on them I think there's maybe five of them that require a $500 cash deposit down, just because they're at a higher level so we just increase the deposit on them," said Beltz.

The money collected from each auction goes to different causes. Some will go into the law enforcement trust fund, 15-percent will be donated to charities and the other portion goes into JSO's confidential vehicle fund which is used towards vehicle maintenance like oil changes, gas, tires and other parts.

Beltz said this is a good opportunity to buy a vehicle for a cheaper cost.

"We have a BMW, a Land Rover, a Mercedes… Higher end cars maybe people wouldn't normally be able to afford but they can come down and bid on them and maybe get a car of their dreams," said Beltz.

Anyone is welcome to attend, you just have to bring an ID. They said they use that to keep track of everyone's bidding numbers to make sure the cars and trucks actually go to the people who bid on them. Registration for Thursday's auction is at 9 a.m. in Lot F at Metro Park across from the EverBank Field.