JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A new Florida law that will take effect on July 1 intends to protect property owners from squatters.
HB 621 will allow law enforcement to get involved in the removal of people living in a home without the owner’s permission.
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Under this law, officers may be called to help remove squatters if they unlawfully entered and remained on the property after the owner asked them to leave.
The News4JAX I-TEAM started investigating this issue back in March 2023 when a Hogan’s Creek property owner confronted two women who moved into her vacant rental property and wouldn’t leave.
READ: Here are all of the new Florida laws going into effect next month
A responding officer suspected it was a squatting scam at Patti Peeple’s property but under Florida law, the women could remain in the home for at least 20 days until a judge heard the case.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said the new law is an “alternative remedy” to the past methods to address the issue.
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Now under the law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, police can remove people immediately from a property if they do not have a lease or refuse to leave.
Here are the conditions that have to be met before an officer can intervene:
- The requesting person is the property owner or authorized agent of the property owner.
- The real property that is being occupied includes a residential dwelling.
- An unauthorized person or persons have unlawfully entered and remain or continue to reside on the property owner’s property.
- The real property was not open to members of the public at the time the unauthorized person or persons entered.
- The property owner has directed the unauthorized person to leave the property.
- The unauthorized person or persons are not current or former tenants pursuant to a written or oral rental agreement authorized by the property owner.
- The unauthorized person or persons are not immediate family members of the property owner.
- There is no pending litigation related to the real property between the property owner and any known unauthorized person.
The property owner must also fill out an online form that will be available on JSO’s website.
Once the form is completed, the owner needs to call the sheriff’s office at 904-630-0500 and an officer will respond and review the required documents to determine the next steps.