Ron DeSantis passes law allowing squatters to be arrested
- Gov. Ron DeSantis approved the legislation Thursday
- Earlier this year, he eliminated squatters' rights in Florida
- Florida homeowners must fill out a form for sheriff's assistance
SANFORD, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES – 2024/04/08: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis listens to a speaker at a press conference in Sanford, Florida where he signed legislation to increase penalties on individuals who expose law enforcement officers to fentanyl, and to bring awareness to life-saving measures for someone experiencing an opioid overdose. (Photo by Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
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(NewsNation) — GOP Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has approved legislation allowing homeowners or authorized agents in the Sunshine State to request sheriff’s assistance to remove squatters from their properties.
As other states look to combat squatter loopholes, DeSantis continues his push to crack down on squatters. It follows the elimination of squatters’ rights in the state, which he signed into law in March.
House Bill 621 became law Thursday. Sheriffs are allowed to arrest unauthorized occupants, and criminal penalties apply to those who falsify documents regarding their eligibility to reside on the premises.
A clip of DeSantis’s Thursday appearance on Fox News was posted Friday. In it, the governor declared that the “squatters scam is over in Florida.”
“What New York does, what California does, Florida will do the opposite. So, the squatters scam ends today with our legislation,” he said.
“Now in Florida, you fill out a form, sheriff comes and kicks them out of your property.”
In April, Georgia passed legislation that barred people from taking over a property and subsequently claiming rights to the premises.
In March, Illinois resident Darthula Young told “NewsNation Now” that her late mother’s home was squatted in and taken over, and the process for their removal wasn’t as simple as eviction.