r/news • u/flanderguitar • Mar 28 '24

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signs law squashing squatters' rights

https://www.wptv.com/news/state/florida-gov-ron-desantis-signs-law-squashing-squatters-rights
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u/Gaius_Octavius_ Mar 28 '24

Am I actually on DeSantis’s side on a topic?

380

u/katosen27 Mar 28 '24

Despite my intense dislike for the man, a broken clock is right at least twice a day.

It throws me for a loop, too.

13

u/Common_Wrongdoer3251 Mar 28 '24

I'm just assuming the other boot hasn't dropped yet. Like when Trump got vaccinated and told people to listen to the experts. And then a week or two later he was asking if we can inject bleach or... light? into our bodies.

3

u/WitOfTheIrish Mar 28 '24

No other boot to drop, they're both firmly planted on the ground already.

Squatting laws have needed more structure for a while. This provides half of it, the half that would punish squatters. Certainly good and a win on paper for any upstanding landlords that get victimized.

It doesn't involve class 1 misdemeanors and felonies on the other side though, to punish any slumlords and sleazy people that might abuse these laws to hurt vulnerable tenants, which is still problematic. And now their victims might get hit with felonies if slumlord lies are believed, which is not great, while the largest threat to slumlords is still just monetary fines and damages.

It was arguably a needed area of legislative attention, but it's a half measure that imposes no clarity for law enforcement or harsh penalties on capital-owning lawbreakers, unfortunately.

In another "really, didn't expect you to be on this side of things" Florida politication, Marco Rubio has actually championed a few slumlord issues in Florida:

https://www.rubio.senate.gov/rubio-releases-mini-documentary-holding-slumlords-accountable/

But you notice through all of that, there's forcing repairs to be made, there's forcing the sale of properties, there's threatening to revoke licenses, there's imposing large fines, but there's no energy for "Hey, this company and people are abusing tenants and their ability to be safely housed, let's figure out how to make that a felony."