Multifamily Residential Properties

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide a detailed list of the specific crimes that are included in the bill's provisions. The candidate explanation includes more detail than is provided in the official summary or text.

Multifamily Residential Properties Liability Rules

This bill changes the rules for when owners or managers of apartment buildings can't claim they're not responsible if certain crimes happen there.

What This Bill Does

• Changes a law about liability for apartment building owners and managers.
• Adds that an owner or manager cannot say they are not responsible if two or more specific crimes happened at the property in the last two years.

Who It Names or Affects

• Owners of apartment buildings
• Managers of apartment buildings

Terms To Know

presumption against liability

A rule that says someone is not responsible for something unless proven otherwise.

multifamily residential property

An apartment building or complex where multiple families live.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify what happens if there are fewer than two crimes reported.
• It is unclear how this will be enforced or checked by authorities.

Official Summary Text

Multifamily Residential Properties; Prohibiting the owner or principal operator of a multifamily residential property from receiving a presumption against liability if a certain number of specified crimes were reported to have occurred at the property within a specified timeframe, etc.

Current Bill Text

Florida Senate
-
2026

SB 956

By
Senator Bradley

6-01229-26 2026956__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to multifamily residential properties;
3 amending s. 768.0706, F.S.; prohibiting the owner or
4 principal operator of a multifamily residential
5 property from receiving a presumption against
6 liability if a certain number of specified crimes were
7 reported to have occurred at the property within a
8 specified timeframe; providing an effective date.
9
10 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
11
12 Section 1. Present subsections (4) and (5) of section
13 768.0706, Florida Statutes, are redesignated as subsections (5)
14 and (6), respectively, and a new subsection (4) is added to that
15 section, to read:
16 768.0706 Multifamily residential property safety and
17 security; presumption against liability.—
18
(4) The owner or principal operator of
a
multifamily

19
residential property
may
not receive a presumption against

20
liability under
this section
if two
or more
of the following

21
crimes have been reported to have occurred at the property in

22
the 24 months preceding the subject incident:

23
(a) Murder;

24
(b) Robbery;

25
(c) Sexual
b
attery;

26
(d) Aggravated assault;

27
(e) Battery;

28
(f) Kidnapping or false imprisonment; or

29
(g) Crime
s
involving a firearm.

30 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.