Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd praised this week the new anti-squatter law that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed, saying the squatter “nonsense” will not be tolerated in the state.
Judd made the remarks during an interview on Fox News when asked what law enforcement officials should do in other states that do not have anti-squatter laws.
“My recommendation is for law enforcement officers to go there and get documentation that the owners did not enter into a lease agreement or a contract for sale,” he said. “When the homeowner can say ‘I don’t know these people, I’ve never entered into an agreement,’ then that becomes trespassing, or burglary, or theft.”
“And why aren’t the suspects treated that way? They should be,” he continued. “They always have been in this county. And quite frankly, we don’t have problems with squatters, because of that. On the few occasions that they’ve tried that silliness here, we go there, determine that the owner is really the owner, and lock the suspects up. That’s my suggestion if you park your car, and leave the windows down, that it’s okay for someone to get into your car and take it, and then you’ve got to have a civil court order to get your car back. All of that is nonsense. Law enforcement needs to lock them up.”
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“In the state of Florida now we’ve clarified the law because there is a civil process to get people out of your homes,” he later added. “But there’s also a criminal aspect to this because people don’t have the right to move into your empty house or dummy up some document saying ‘well, I’ve contracted with them for sale or I’ve contracted for a lease agreement’ when the owner says ‘look, I don’t know you. I’ve never seen this contract. I didn’t sign it.'”
“Lock the suspects up, because they’re committing a crime,” he concluded. “If you want to be safe, move to Florida.”
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????FLORIDA SQUASHES THE SQUATTER SCAM ????
Great interview with @PolkCoSheriff Grady Judd on @FoxBusiness about the new law signed by Governor DeSantis, making Florida the first state in the country to take such strong action to protect property rights & end "squatters' rights." pic.twitter.com/vk7ug456lk— Christina Pushaw ???? ???????? (@ChristinaPushaw) April 2, 2024