ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis held a news conference Wednesday at the Orange County State Attorney’s Office in Orlando.
DeSantis signed HB 621 — “Property Rights” — which seeks to ease and quicken the removal of unauthorized occupants from residential dwellings, coined “ending the squatters scam” per messaging on the governor’s lectern.
The legislation provides property owners or their authorized agents with such resources as a pre-written complaint template which, once filled, is meant to swiftly get a given sheriff’s office involved in the removal and potential criminal prosecution of those unlawfully occupying residential property.
“What the squatters know is even when they’re in the wrong, it’s a massive process many times before they can be evicted and a lot of times that process is very expensive,” DeSantis said. “... What you can do now if you’re the victim of squatting, you can simply fill out a form, give it to your local sheriff and the sheriff is instructed to go and remove the people who are inhabiting your dwelling illegally, and that will happen very quickly.”
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The legislation will go into effect on July 1. From there, law enforcement may be called to assist in the removal of squatters if the following conditions are met, per the governor’s office:
- The individual has unlawfully entered and remains on the property;
- The individual has been directed to leave the property by the owner but has not done so; and
- The individual is not a current or former tenant in a legal dispute.
The bill revises criminal penalties for several actions, such as making it a first-degree misdemeanor to make a false statement in writing to obtain real property or for knowingly presenting a falsified document conveying property rights, and a second-degree felony for anyone who intentionally causes at least $1,000 in damage while unlawfully occupying or trespassing in a residential dwelling.
HB 621 additionally deems it a first-degree felony for the listing or advertisement of residential real property for sale by a person who knowingly has no legal title or authority to sell it, as well as for whomever may rent or lease property to another person knowing they have no legal ownership or leasehold of it.
The news conference was originally scheduled for Tuesday morning but was postponed due to the bridge collapse in Baltimore. A container ship rammed into a major bridge in Baltimore, causing it to snap and plunge into the river below.
DeSantis posted on social media that he was sending crews to Maryland to help with the aftermath of the collapse.
I have directed @FLSERT to offer assistance to the State of Maryland, if needed, following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) March 26, 2024
The State of Florida stands willing to help and our prayers are with the victims and first responders.
Several vehicles fell into the chilly waters, and rescuers searched for survivors.
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