Florida SB 1224: Beverage Law

Bill Text

1224 
Fraudulent Entry of Residential Dwellings 
2026-02-12T11:31:57Z 
Providing that fraudulent entry of a residential dwelling unit is an act of noncompliance for which a landlord may terminate a rental agreement; creating the crime of fraudulent entry of a residential dwelling unit; prohibiting a person from entering into and taking possession of a residential dwelling unit under specified circumstances, etc. 
Committee Substitute 2 
2026 
S 
2026-10-01T00:00:00Z 
GB 
General Bill 
c2 

 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.