House passes bill giving state authority of landlord and tenant regulations

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (FLV) – The Florida House passed legislation 81-33 Wednesday that aims to give the state state priority on regulations for tenant and landlord matters instead of local governments.

Sponsored by Reps. Tiffany Esposito, R-Fort Myers, and Lawrence McClure, R-Dover, the bill aims to centralize the power of regulation in state hands rather than counties or cities.

Speaking about her bill, Esposito said that “capitalism and the free market will solve our housing crisis if we get the government out of the way.”

“This bill protects tenants, this bill protects property owners, and this bill protects capitalism,” Esposito said.

HB 1417 would give the state authority over tenant and landlord regulations, overriding any conflicting rules at the local level.

It would override some local ordinances dealing with rent and what some critics call the “tenant bill of rights.”

In addition, the bill mandates a minimum of 60 days’ notice from either the tenant or landlord when vacating a residence, thereby prohibiting rental agreements that require a shorter notice time from either party.

“More control on properties leads to less units. Less units equal higher cost,” said Rep. Ralph Massulo, R-Lecanto, explained. “Less units and higher costs lead to more of our housing problem.”

Rep. Bruce Antone, D-Orlando, said he is conflicted on how to vote for the bill because he believes rent control would infringe upon private property rights. 

“But we have an affordable housing crisis. Here in Florida when I say affordable housing crisis, I’m not talking about Section 8, I’m talking about an affordable housing crisis for working families,” Antone said.

A similar Senate version of the bill passed several committees.

Lydia Nusbaum contributed to this report.