The Florida legislature has proposed a number of changes to Florida Landlord/Tenant law. One such change (83.455) says a landlord must provide the tenant 60 notice of termination plus a written explanation for the decision. Another (83.56) says a landlord must have “good cause” to terminate a rental agreement. See the following ...
83.455 Rental agreements.—
(2) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, all rental agreements entered into, extended, or renewed on or after July 163 1, 2024, must include the following provisions:
(a) Before a private sale or transfer of title of the dwelling unit or the premises on which the dwelling unit is located, the landlord must provide the tenant with the right of first refusal to purchase the dwelling unit or premises as provided under s. 83.675.
Editor's Note: Owners should be fully prepared now for the sale of properties with appropriate purchase & sale agreements, right of first refusal documents, and notice from the tenant of refusal to purchase. Slow tenant response could be detrimental to sales to other buyers.
(b) If a landlord chooses not to extend or renew a rental agreement, he or she must provide the tenant 60 days' notice of his or her decision and provide a written explanation for such decision.
(c) If a rental agreement provision authorizes termination of the rental agreement by the landlord without cause, such provision must require the landlord to provide the tenant just compensation and comprehensive relocation assistance.
83.56 Termination of rental agreement.—
(2)(a) A landlord must have good cause to terminate a rental agreement. The following reasons constitute good cause allowing for termination of a rental agreement:
Editor's Note: If these proposed changes pass, this provision will prove to be one of the most important changes to the statues. I'm not a lawyer but I'm sure I can't claim that his tenant is a drug dealer and terminate his lease. Unless the he is is convicted he is presumed innocent. So, make sure you can prove your claim before terminating a lease for bad behavior. There are lots of lawyers that will take that case on contingency. It can cost the landlord thousands to defend himself in court; or, the tenant's lawyer will offer to settle the case for a hefty fee.
The upshot of all of this is that landlords must do an excellent job of memorializing every conversation, text and email message, etc. Without good evidence it will likely come down to the slum landlords word against the hapless tenant.