Florida cracks down on 'absolutely untenable' squatting situations with new law: 'Gives us teeth'
Martin County, Florida Sheriff William Snyder weighs in after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an anti-squatting bill into law in the Sunshine State.
Squatters rights have been eliminated in the Sunshine State thanks to a bill signed this week Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The new law granting state law enforcement officials the power to remove offenders and increasing penalties for squatters, comes as property owners nationwide complain their homes are being seized by strangers while they have limited options to take back what's rightfully theirs.
"What New York does, what California does, Florida will do the opposite. And so the squatter scam ends today with our legislation," DeSantis told Fox News' Sean Hannity.
DESANTIS ELIMINATES 'SQUATTERS' RIGHTS IN FLORIDA, GIVES POWER TO COPS TO REMOVE OFFENDERS
Sheriff William Snyder told Fox News he believes the new anti-squatting bill will 'absolutely' make a difference. (Fox & Friends First/Screengrab)
"We've got people that will be here for seven months of the year, and then they'll go to Michigan or New York or even Canada. You come back after the summer and someone's in your house, and then they just get to stay there for six months. Now in Florida, you call up, you fill out a form, the sheriff comes, and the sheriff kicks him out of your property."
"If we don't have private property rights, we will not have a free society, so it is the bedrock Florida stands by, and we're proud to do it," he continued later.
Martin County, Florida Sheriff William Snyder thinks the law will "absolutely" help alleviate the situation.
FLORIDA VICTIM OF SERIAL SQUATTER CALLS ON DESANTIS TO CRACK DOWN ON ILLEGAL HOME OCCUPATION
"There's a real technicality when you go out to a home and somebody proffers that they live there, then the legitimate owner has proved that it's their house," he said Thursday on "Fox & Friends First."
"It gives us teeth to enforce the law and to return the home to the rightful owner."
Since many property owners reside in the Sunshine State exclusively during winter months, residents in Snyder's community have been encouraged to be on the lookout for suspicious activity and alert law enforcement if anything seems out-of-the-ordinary.
Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signs bill addressing squatters into law. (Gov. Ron DeSantis/FB)
"We'll go right out there, and it's our intention here in Martin County to get that home back into the hands of the rightful owner and get the trespasser out," he said. "And then I will provide them [the squatter] housing. They will not be unhoused. I'm putting them straight into my jail."
Landlords in the Sunshine State previously complained of lax property rights as squatters invaded homes and wreaked havoc, leaving legitimate homeowners to foot the bill.
Jacksonville property owner Patti Peeples, for instance, spoke to Fox News' Pete Hegseth last year after multiple squatters moved into her property and caused nearly $40,000 in damages.
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"We would be in jail," she said when asked what would happen if she tried to take matters into her own hands and remove the offender. "In fact, I couldn't even turn off the electricity and the water. We are prevented from doing that. So not only did they steal a home to live in for a period of time, but they lived in relative comfort with a washer-dryer, which they stole, a fully stocked kitchen with all of the appliances and heat, air conditioning and water."
At the time, she invited DeSantis to focus on the issue, calling property rights in the state "absurd."
The new law cracking down on squatters is slated to take effect July 1.
Fox News' Emma Colton contributed to this report.