Florida House Bill 621 comes into effect today, and will bolster homeowners’ ability to evict unwanted residents from their property by partnering directly with local law enforcement.

Under the new bill, any property owner in Florida can now immediately contact local police to remove a person from their property if they are in it unlawfully, or if they have previously been told to leave and have not done so.

Prior to the bill, Florida homeowners had to engage in a longer filing process with local courts before an eviction order could be granted. Now, local police can directly carry an eviction out.

When Governor DeSantis first signed the bill into law in March, he lauded the policy as a tremendous win for property rights in the Sunshine State.

“While other states are siding with the squatters, we are protecting property owners and punishing criminals looking to game the system,” the governor said in a statement.

“If we don’t have private property rights, we will not have a free society, so it is the bedrock Florida stands by, and we’re proud to do it,” he added.

The complainant would be required to fill out a form and pay a $90 to $115 dollar fee for the squatter to be in the local sheriff’s jurisdiction. 

The bill states that providing any false information of residency, such as a forged lease, is punishable as a first-degree misdemeanor. Any unlawful occupant that causes $1,000 worth of damages will be charged with a second-degree felony.

This bill was signed into law after some illegal migrants took to social media to tell other potential squatters that “if a house is not inhabited, we can seize it,” the Daily Mail reported.

“Biden has allowed millions of illegal immigrants to flood across the border,” Florida Attorney General, Ashley Moody, said. “After video evidence of their plan to take over homes emerged, we’re ensuring Floridians are protected from this egregious and brazen scheme.”

This new policy is the opposite of those in states such as New York and California, where the eviction process may be tedious and expensive.

In New York City, an individual can claim an array of squatter’s rights as long as they have been living in a certain property for over 30 days, according to the New York Post.

“What the squatters know is that, even when they’re in the wrong, it’s a massive process many times before they can be evicted, and a lot of the time, the process is very expensive,” Mr. DeSantis said in a press conference.

“We don’t want the law to have the thumb on the scale in favor of people that are violating the law,” he added.