TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A Florida bill aiming to crack down even harder on squatters in the state has just taken one step closer to possibly becoming law.
The bill (SB 322) was originally filed back in January, and it aims to expand a law passed last year that helps homeowners deal with squatters.
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Last year’s law helps homeowners get rid of squatters more quickly by getting the local sheriff’s office involved in the removal. To do so, these conditions must be met:
- The person has unlawfully entered and remains on the property.
- The person has been directed to leave the property by the owner but has not done so.
- The person is not a current or former tenant in a legal dispute.
However, SB 322 would extend these rules to include commercial properties like apartment complexes or office buildings — a fact brought up earlier this month.
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“Are you telling me right now law enforcement can’t remove somebody off of commercial property if the property owner asked law enforcement to remove them from the property?” asked Sen. Jonathan Martin (R-Fort Myers) during a Senate committee meeting last week.
“That is correct,” responded the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Ana Rodriguez (R-Doral). “We took it upon ourselves last Legislative session to correct this for residential properties, and now, we’re going to do the same for commercial.”
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Just as with residential homes in the state, the bill would allow commercial property owners to remove squatters via nonjudicial means, hastening the process.
To do so, property owners would simply have to submit the proper complaint form to their local sheriff’s office. Upon verification, deputies would then have to immediately notify the unwanted person that he/she has to leave.
However, the property owner would still have to pay the sheriff’s office a civil eviction fee and hourly rate to have a deputy stand by and keep the peace while the person is removed.
In addition, the bill would set up criminal penalties in line with those created under last year’s law, expanding squatter penalties to include such incidents at commercial properties.
On Wednesday, the bill finally went to a vote before the full Senate, with lawmakers approving the legislation by a vote of 39-0. Now, SB 322 is set to go before the House of Representatives for a similar consideration.
A similar bill filed in the House (HB 213) by Rep. Peggy Gossett-Siedman, R-91, was approved by a Legislative subcommittee last week by a vote of 15-2.
Gossett-Siedman said there were over 120 cases of squatting in Orlando just last year, thus prompting her to introduce the legislation. She also discussed why she filed the bill in a statement:
“This bill provides law enforcement with the availability to work with landlords and building owners to access buildings where nefarious or suspected unlawful activities are taking place. This includes human trafficking, unlawful drug activities, squatting and other unlawful entry.
The bill mirrors the bill passed last session for private homes and is an asset to keeping our communities safe and clear of criminal activities.”
Rep. Peggy Gossett-Seidman on HB 213 (2025)
According to Gossett-Siedman, the bill would also enhance several of the criminal penalties associated with last year’s squatting law.
If approved and signed into law, both of these bills would take effect on July 1.