DeSantis, business groups in Sarasota tout new law for stricter anti-squatting enforcement
On the sixth floor of the bayfront Westin hotel, DeSantis said the measures would allow for more consistent law enforcement against squatters and illegal tenants in residential businesses − such as motels. Some advocates have criticized a flurry of such legislation around the country as damaging to poor and homeless communities.
'This provides those property owners with a streamlined process to regain possession of the property that is rightfully theirs,' he said.
The two bills – SB 322 and SB 606 – are designed to make it easier for local law enforcement to remove people who are staying on a property they don't own (against the owner's wishes) and for those who haven't been paying their rent or residential fee to be evicted.
SB 322's bill analysis says it would create a procedure outside of the courts for the county sheriff to remove 'an unauthorized person from commercial real property.' Both laws will go into effect on July 1.
The House sponsor of SB 322, Highland Beach Republican State Rep. Peggy Gossett-Seidman, told the Herald-Tribune that it wasn't designed to prosecute homeless people who are staying on an empty estate out of necessity. As long as they comply with law enforcement, they won't be charged, she said.
Florida's homeless population has fluctuated since DeSantis took office, but since 2021 it has increased by nearly 49% – from 21,141 to 31,462 − according to Florida Health. This has come amid skyrocketing rent and mortgage rates across the state. Gossett-Seidman tentatively said its possible that the state's affordable housing crisis exacerbates squatting, but there wasn't enough hard data on the topic.
'There aren't a lot of numbers and it's hard to keep track of this issue,' Gossett-Seidman said. 'It's all possibly conjecture since this has been an under-the-radar issue.'
She referenced a survey by the National Rental Home Council that said Orlando had the third-highest rate of squatters in the state.
The National Housing Law Project, an advocacy group of poor communities, criticized anti-squatting laws by state legislatures in a 2024 report.
'Key dangers include the improper removal of rightful occupants from their homes, the potential for arrest or violent interaction between tenants and police, and a heightened ability of landlords to intimidate tenants by threats of non-judicial police eviction," the report said.
The group also criticized the council survey for a lack of transparency and called its findings 'unclear beyond what appears in media reports.'
The press conference was filled with DeSantis' usual law and order rhetoric, making comparisons between Florida and states like California and New York.
One man several rows of chairs back held a t-shirt in his lap that read 'Don't California My Florida.'
Attendees included area state lawmakers such as Sens. Jim Boyd, R-Bradenton, and Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota; State Reps. Fiona McFarland, R-Sarasota, and Danny, R-Englewood; former Sarasota City Commissioner Erik Arroyo, Sarasota Police Chief Rex Troche, and Sarasota County Sheriff Kurt Hoffman.
'I'm not surprised the Legislature and Governor have turned to the sheriffs to be able to enforce this,' Hoffman said to the audience. 'We're up to the task, and we're certainly going to do that.'
The sheriff said his office has conducted nearly 700 evictions a year since he took office.
Christian Casale covers local government for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Email him at ccasale@gannett.com or christiancasale@protonmail.com
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: DeSantis signs anti-squatting bills into law in Sarasota
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