Florida Governor DeSantis signs law to crack down on squatting

Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill Wednesday that would repeal the rights of squatters in the state and increase penalties for violators.

“You can’t seize someone’s private property and expect to get away with it. We ended the squatter scam in Florida once and for all,” DeSantis said at a news conference in Orlando to sign the bill.

The new law will take effect on July 1. Before signing the bill, Gov. DeSantis said he believed Florida was the first state in the country to directly address the squatting issue.

A majority of Florida lawmakers voted in favor of the bill earlier this month. They sent it to Governor DeSantis to sign into law. The law states that people squatting in their homes will be charged with a crime. It also allows property owners to prove they legally own the property by submitting sworn documents.

Prior to this law, squatters in Florida, as well as many other states, were considered tenants. This left the owners with a lengthy court battle to legally evict them.

“If you see the story of what happened, this is an important issue,” Republican state Sen. Keith Perry, the bill’s sponsor, said as the bill passed the Legislature, Wear TV reported. Act.” “The impunity people are having under the legislation is appalling.”

Now, if someone is living in a home without permission and cannot prove ownership, homeowners can ask the sheriff to evict them immediately. That’s because of a new law.

Gov. Ron DeSantis, speaking from a podium with a sign that read “End the Squatter Scam,” said the new law will help homeowners get rid of squatters more quickly. He also said the law made squatting more punishing.

DeSantis criticized Democratic-led states, saying they sided with squatters. “In fact, we’ve seen squatters move in and claim residency. This forces them to undergo a massive, long, protracted judicial review before they can be evicted from the property. These people never had the right to be on the property. First. Earlier this month in New York, a woman returned to a property she inherited and found squatters living there. She changed the locks and got them out, and the state arrested her for not squatting Squatters,” he said.