DeSantis ends ‘squatter scam’ in Florida with new law – Washington Examiner

Squatters in Florida will now face criminal charges for moving illegally into private property.

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) signed legislation on Wednesday to criminalize squatting, adding that he believes Florida will be the first state to directly ban the practice.

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) delivers remarks before signing House Bill 621 that protects homeowners and their property against squatting —the illegal possession of vacant homes— during a ceremony at the Ninth Judicial Circuit state attorney’s office in Orlando, Wednesday, March 27, 2024. The bill includes stricter penalties for squatting, making it a second-degree felony to unlawfully occupy a residential dwelling. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP)

“You are not going to be able to commandeer somebody’s private property and expect to get away with it. We are in the state of Florida ending the squatter scam once and for all,” DeSantis said during a press conference in Orlando.

In one instance, a squatter reportedly moved into a $500 million home in Bonita Springs and was found in the owner’s clothing.

The law allows property owners to call the sheriff’s office to remove squatters if they can’t produce documents showing they are authorized to live there, and it allows owners to file an affidavit showing ownership of the property. Before the passage of the legislation, squatters were considered tenants and homeowners would have to endure lengthy court battles to remove them.

Squatters who damage a home face a second-degree felony charge, and those who fraudulently sell or lease a property face a first-degree felony.

“I want to thank our legislative body, both our delegates here in central Florida and abroad, because this received unanimous support, and it’s been long too often where we’ve seen homeowners that have spent their entire life working and earning,” Seminole County Sheriff Dennis M. Lemma said at the press conference. “Some have inherited homes of parents and to knock on the door and be met with squatters.”

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During the press conference, DeSantis criticized blue states New York and California for “siding” in favor of squatters.

“They’re siding with the squatters,” he said of the states. “In fact, we have seen squatters move in and claim residence. This forces a massive, long, drawn-out judicial review before they can even be removed from the property. These are people that never had a right to be in the property to begin with. Earlier this month in New York, a woman returned to a property she inherited to find squatters living there. She changed the locks to get them out, and the state of New York arrested her instead of the squatters.”