Criminals feel emboldened across the country because of soft-on-crime Democrats.
One woman’s struggle against them in the Sunshine State helped inspire change.
And Ron DeSantis passed a new law after a landlord went through hell in his scary fight.
Squatting gains national attention
Squatting, or taking possession of a property someone does not own, made national headlines after a series of alarming incidents.
An illegal alien from Venezuela became a viral sensation on TikTok by explaining how, and encouraging illegal aliens, to take properties from American homeowners.
New York, where squatters can gain control after as little as 30 days, had several high-profile cases of homeowners being victimized by squatters.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed House Bill 621 into law this year to crack down on squatting in the Sunshine State.
“We are putting an end to the squatters scam in Florida,” DeSantis said after signing the bill earlier this year. “While other states are siding with the squatters, we are protecting property owners and punishing criminals looking to game the system.”
House Bill 621 became law after the nightmare scenario that one Florida landlord went through with squatters.
Florida landlord battles squatters to get them out of her property
Florida landlord Patti Peeples, a Democrat, was victimized by two female squatters last year.
It took her 36 days to remove the squatters, and they caused nearly $40,000 in damages to her property.
Her story inspired Florida State Legislators to take action to protect residents from squatters.
“I certainly would have never anticipated that my personal experience would have motivated a state law change and, in fact, movement around the United States, with regard to criminal charges against squatters,” Peeples told Fox News Digital.
Peeples said that she was encouraged that her story helped the Florida Legislature solve a big problem.
“Squatting is a nationwide issue,” Peeples explained. “We don’t really know how prevalent it is because, sadly, there is no organization that keeps track of squatting cases. But what we do know, thanks to the strong and fine work of local and national organizations, that a lot of the squatting tragedies are making their way to public viewing.”
State Representative Kevin Steele (R-FL) and State Senator Keith Perry (R-FL) saw her story on Fox News and reached out to her to address the problem.
“It’s a really great example where my story generated local news interest, local news interest generated national news interest and national coverage inspired state legislatures to act,” Peeples told Fox News Digital. “I think that’s really how things should work in our country.”
Peeples testified before the Florida Legislature while the anti-squatting bill was going through the legislative process.
The Florida bill inspired other states to take action against squatters.
“Furthermore, the fact that we got this bill passed here in the state of Florida has inspired New York, South Carolina, Georgia, Michigan, and numerous other states to start action on developing property rights or anti-squatter bills,” Peeples explained. “So, I think it has been a good template for other states to see how to go about legislating this particular issue in our nation.”
Florida is once again serving as the blueprint for the rest of the country on how to stand up for law and order.
DeSantis Daily will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this ongoing story.
