You have to file a formal complaint with the sheriff. If sheriff can verify your complaint, he sends officer to remove squatter
Owner must pay sheriff civil eviction fee plus any additional for keeping the peace
There is also a penalty for a false complaint or illegitimate removal
So it’s not call the police and they can remove
The bill first passed the Florida house in November.
The actual bill , pdf copy, is available at the bottom of the page I linked
this territory is moderated
This makes more sense. Obviously this will take some time for them to verify everything.
Owner must pay sheriff civil eviction fee plus any additional for keeping the peace
Thats a curious bit, I understand that generally in normal evictions there may be a fee since its a civil procedure (ie contract dispute).
However, this is criminal trespassing. There is no "violation of contract terms" its no different than theft. Do robbery victims need to pay a fee to get the sheriff to arrest the aggressor?
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It’s like a high deductible insurance policy.
To deter false complaints
My 2 cents
You’re right it’s criminal trespassing
The statute seems like an acceleration of the eviction process. Bypass judge and go straight to sheriff
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I would also assume that legally you could recoup that fee from the trespasser. Of course, practically, you'll never get it from them.
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There is also a penalty for a false complaint or illegitimate removal
That's an important piece. Once that's in place, the cops should just take the landlords word and remove the occupants.
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