Where can you find your eviction rights as a tenant in Florida?

The Florida Bar's website offers information about tenant rights, including those pertaining to eviction. Under the Florida Residential Landlord-Tenant Act, all tenants within the state, including those without lease agreements, have certain protections.

According to the Florida Bar, tenants within the state have a right to private, peaceful possession of their rented dwelling. The law also prevents landlords from evicting tenants without justifiable cause.

A 2013 change in state law made it somewhat easier for landlords to evict tenants. Under the revised law, if a tenant violates his lease, such as by possessing illegal drugs or failing to pay rent on time, and does not correct the violation after receiving a seven-day notice, the landlord is allowed to evict on the seventh day. Under the previous version of the law, a landlord was required to send a second seven-day notice before being allowed to terminate a lease and evict a tenant.

The 2013 change in state landlord-tenant law was the most significant alteration to the Residential Landlord-Tenant Act in more than 20 years. State lawmakers said they approved the change to clarify a portion of the law that had been unclear, leaving it open to interpretation and therefore the subject of many lawsuits.