Coleman v. SELA Realty: Florida Security Deposit Settlement

The notice describes the class period as April 4, 2021 through April 4, 2025. It concerns Florida tenants who paid a security deposit at a property SELA owned or managed, had some of the deposit retained, and may not have received the specified certified-mail notice within 30 days after moving out. Receiving the notice means SELA’s records indicate that you may be in the class; it does not itself decide eligibility.

The presiding judge, Florida Appellate Court judges, their immediate families, Released Parties, and people who timely opt out are excluded.

A Settlement Class Member who submits a valid Claim Form may receive cash equal to 60% of the security deposit paid to SELA. The notice describes $141,793.77 as the total cash-payment amount for all class members, not as an individual payment amount.

The notice says payment will be sent using the payment method selected on the claim form if the claim is approved.

The notice says debt relief includes bringing a qualifying outstanding balance owed to SELA to $0, including a balance SELA sent to a debt collector. The notice has conflicting terms about the applicable move-out cutoff and whether a claim is required for this benefit; those unresolved terms are identified separately in the issues.

To seek a cash payment, submit an online claim form by November 22, 2026. If the claim is approved, the notice says payment will be sent using the method selected on the form.

The notice does not identify any particular receipts, lease records, move-out records, or other supporting documents required with a claim. It only says that the Claim Form must be valid or approved.

The Court must first approve the settlement. Payments will be disbursed only after approval and after any appeals are resolved. The notice does not give a payment date and says appeals can take time, perhaps more than a year.

Opting out means leaving the settlement. A person who opts out will not receive settlement benefits, but keeps the ability to pursue their own claims against SELA or other Released Parties concerning a released claim.

Mail a signed written request by November 22, 2026. It must include your name and address and say, in substance, that you request exclusion from the Coleman v SELA Settlement and understand that you will not receive settlement benefits. The notice gives the opt-out mailing address as Coleman v SELA c/o Settlement Administrator, PO Box 23668, Jacksonville, FL 32216.

If you remain in the settlement class, you can object in writing by November 22, 2026. You must file the objection with the Court and mail it to both the Class and Defendant at the addresses listed in the notice.

The objection must be personally signed and include your current contact information, documentation sufficient to show class membership, your reasons and factual and legal grounds, and copies of documents you want to use in support. A person who opts out cannot object.

The Final Approval Hearing is scheduled for December 2, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. via Zoom. You do not have to attend.

To ask to speak, you must have timely submitted an objection and file a signed notice of your intention to appear with the Court by November 18, 2026. It must include your name, address, and telephone number. You cannot speak if you opted out.

Unless you opt out, you will be bound by the settlement’s release. If the settlement is approved, the notice says you cannot sue or continue suing SELA or other Released Parties over the Released Claims covered by the settlement.

The notice describes those claims as damages claims arising under the Florida Residential Landlord Tenant Act and Florida Consumer Collection Practices Act. It directs readers to the Settlement Agreement for the full release terms.

The Court-appointed Class Counsel is Consumer Law Advocate, PLLC. The notice says class members will not be personally charged by this lawyer.

Class Counsel plans to ask the Court for up to $75,000 in fees and expenses. It also plans to request a $2,000 service award for the plaintiff. The Court may award less.