Read the full stored bill text
Florida Senate
-
2026
CS for CS for SB 1224
By
the Committees on Criminal Justice; and Judiciary; and
Senator Rodriguez
591-02778-26 20261224c2
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to fraudulent entry of residential
3 dwellings; amending s. 83.56, F.S.; providing that
4 fraudulent entry of a residential dwelling unit is an
5 act of noncompliance for which a landlord may
6 terminate a rental agreement; creating s. 817.537,
7 F.S.; defining terms; creating the crime of fraudulent
8 entry of a residential dwelling unit; prohibiting a
9 person from entering into and taking possession of a
10 residential dwelling unit under specified
11 circumstances; providing a criminal penalty; providing
12 an effective date.
13
14 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
15
16 Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subsection (2) of section
17 83.56, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
18 83.56 Termination of rental agreement.—
19 (2) If the tenant materially fails to comply with s. 83.52
20 or material provisions of the rental agreement, other than a
21 failure to pay rent, or reasonable rules or regulations, the
22 landlord may:
23 (a) If such noncompliance is of a nature that the tenant
24 should not be given an opportunity to cure it or if the
25 noncompliance constitutes a subsequent or continuing
26 noncompliance within 12 months of a written warning by the
27 landlord of a similar violation, deliver a written notice to the
28 tenant specifying the noncompliance and the landlord’s intent to
29 terminate the rental agreement by reason thereof. Examples of
30 noncompliance which are of a nature that the tenant should not
31 be given an opportunity to cure include, but are not limited to,
32 destruction, damage, or misuse of the landlord’s or other
33 tenants’ property by intentional act
; an act of fraudulent entry
34
of a residential dwelling unit which violates s. 817.537,
35
regardless of whether criminal proceedings have commenced;
or a
36 subsequent or continued unreasonable disturbance. In such event,
37 the landlord may terminate the rental agreement, and the tenant
38 shall have 7 days from the date that the notice is delivered to
39 vacate the premises. The notice shall be in substantially the
40 following form:
41
42 You are advised that your lease is terminated effective
43 immediately. You shall have 7 days from the delivery of this
44 letter to vacate the premises. This action is taken because
45 ...(cite the noncompliance)....
46
47 Section 2. Section 817.537, Florida Statutes, is created to
48 read:
49
817.537
Fraudulent entry of a residential dwelling unit.—
50
(1)
As used in this section, the terms “dwelling unit,”
51
“landlord,” and “rental agreement” have the same meanings as
52
provided in s. 83.43.
53
(2)
A person may not enter into and take possession of a
54
residential dwelling unit by knowingly and willfully:
55
(a)
Making or causing to be made any materially false
56
statement, in writing, relating to the person’s identity in any
57
rental application for a residential tenancy.
58
(b)
Presenting forged, fictitious, or counterfeit documents
59
to the landlord of a residential dwelling unit, including, but
60
not limited to, a driver license, an identification card, a bank
61
statement, or a paystub.
62
(c)
Impersonating another person in whose name a rental
63
application is submitted to a landlord for the purpose of
64
executing the rental agreement or taking possession of the
65
residential dwelling unit.
66
(3)
A person who violates this section commits the offense
67
of fraudulent entry of a residential dwelling unit, which is a
68
felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in s.
69
775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084.
70 Section 3. This act shall take effect October 1, 2026.