ORLANDO, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis signed House Bill 621 into law Wednesday, which will make it easier for property owners to remove unauthorized occupants under certain conditions.

The new law also provides language that allows for sheriffs in Florida to arrest unauthorized occupants of homes and protects officers from liability for destruction or damage in fulfilling those arrests.

Under the new law, property owners have to prove that the following conditions were met in order to request law enforcement assistance in removing occupants:

• The individual has unlawfully entered and remains on the property;
• The individual has been directed to leave the property by the owner but has not done so; and
• The individual is not a current or former tenant in a legal dispute.

“We are putting an end to the squatter’s scam in Florida,” said DeSantis. “While other states are siding with the squatters, we are protecting property owners and punishing criminals looking to game the system.”

In addition to creating a system to remove unauthorized occupants, the law also creates harsher penalties for those removed.

Anyone found to have made a false statement in writing to obtain real property can be charged with a first-degree misdemeanor. Additionally, anyone who intentionally causes $1,000 or more in damages can be charged with a second-degree felony.

Finally, people who knowingly advertise to sell or rent of a residential property without authority from the property owner can be charged with a first-degree felony.

The new law will go into effect July 1.