A new Florida bill would close a critical loophole that allows squatters to stay in unoccupied homes and tie landlords up in court, a move that one homeowner said will return fairness to the system.
House Bill 621, sponsored by Republican Florida state Rep. Kevin Steele, was put forward in response to Jacksonville resident Patti Peeples, who made national headlines earlier this year when several squatters moved into her Jacksonville property and caused nearly $40,000 in damages.
Peeples told “Fox & Friends” that the landlord’s rights and the tenant’s rights are “entirely imbalanced.”
“The ability to evict these individuals immediately by the police will save months in the civil court system, it will reduce burden on the courts and the police officers and it will return some fairness,” she said.
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A Jacksonville, FL, home was destroyed after squatters moved in. (Courtesy of Patti Peeples)
Steele said the bill still needs to go through committees but would allow landlords to detain their properties and file civil charges against those staying inside the residence without a proper lease agreement.
He also revealed that several Democrats in the state had reached out to him to voice their support.
“This is an issue that’s across the entire country and I think we need to use common sense to fix problems, and I think that’s the biggest issue,” Steele said. “We’re not looking at things from a sensical perspective; we’re looking at it from a legal perspective, and these people should not have rights to stay in somebody’s home. The idea that squatters and rights are in the same statement is absurd to me.”
Another bill on the table would give sheriffs the authority to remove squatters immediately.
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Peeples first discovered that two female squatters broke into a rental property she owned after she sent a handyman to make repairs in anticipation of a home inspection after she showed an interested buyer the home 48 hours prior.
Patti Peeples, a Florida landlord, says squatters caused almost $40,000 worth of damage to her Jacksonville property. (Screengrab/ Jesse Watters Primetime)
The women also had two toddlers, as well as a pitbull and 14 puppies.
The saga went on for 34 days during which the squatters caused $38,000 worth of damage, plus legal fees, including smashed walls and windows, cabinets off the walls, a missing washer and dryer, broken toilets, and fecal matter scattered throughout the home.
Peeples said the damage was “simply retaliation” over the landlord’s attempt to evict them.
“The emotion of just utter frustration and unfairness is overwhelming, and I’m so grateful that [Steele] and senators have listened to the needs of real people in this state.”
Fox News’ Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.
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