A judge has sentenced a Florida squatter to 30 days in jail after rejecting the defendant’s plea deal.
Last month, a woman pleaded guilty in Jacksonville to trespassing and criminal mischief, as squatting cases rise across the country. Judge Julie Taylor said that after the 30 days in jail, the squatter will face two years of probation and will also have to pay $3,600 to the owner of the home she victimized.
This will be paid in monthly checks of $200. Florida media have not published the woman’s name because the crimes are misdemeanors.
For some, it is a rare case where squatters are being held accountable, as landlords report an increasing number of illegal tenants staying without paying rent.Florida also passed a law to prevent more squatting cases like these, now allowing authorities to evict squatters from a landlord’s property if there is no proof of a lease available.
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Judge Sends Squatter to Jail
While the landlord and squatter in this case originally reached an agreement to keep the defendant out of jail, the court decided to incarcerate the squatter anyway due to the extent of the damage.
“The carpet was destroyed in every room with human feces, dog feces, eggs, trash, garbage,” owner Patti Peoples said, News 4 Jax reported. The squatter initially claimed she was the victim of a rental scam and stayed in the Jacksonville home for months without Peoples’ consent.
Thanks to her claim, the defendant was able to stay while Peoples pursued the civil court process to evict her and another woman in order to regain access to his home. “I had to pay significant legal expenses and fees, I lost the sale of a home, I lost sleep, I lost my sense of security and I suffered a substantial loss of income. As a retiree, this really hurt me,” Peoples said on the witness stand.
Many other states legally protect tenants and require a lengthy and complicated court process to evict squatters from a property.
For the damage left on the property, Peoples’ insurance paid out about $29,000, but repairs were estimated to cost $38,000. Peoples also lost any money he would have earned from a possible sale of the property, plus several months of rent money from last year.
“I think the plea agreement was rejected because the court saw the damage done and decided to deliver some form of justice,” said national title and escrow expert Alan Chang. Newsweek Magazine “The monetary settlement is only a small fraction of the actual damage done, but it is better than nothing.”
The squatter did not testify in court, but several friends and family spoke about her character.
“I want the court to know that we all make bad decisions and we all do bad things, but that fundamental person is still phenomenal. He’s still there. He is who he is today,” said the squatter’s sister, Shaneka Gaulden.
Taylor said that while he sympathised with the occupant’s plight, he could not sympathise with the damage caused to the house.
“I know there have been statements made and arguments put forward to say that maybe you didn’t cause all the damage that was done to the house, but you were certainly the one living in the house… and I don’t think there’s any argument about that,” Taylor said. For Peoples, the year and a half wait for the case to be resolved has been difficult.
“It’s been a long road,” Peoples said. “It’s been a year and a half. To be honest, I don’t get any joy out of seeing anyone go to jail. I think she deserves to go to jail, but I honestly didn’t get any satisfaction out of seeing her walk out in handcuffs.”
Florida’s new law allowing police to immediately evict squatters if they fail to produce a valid lease could set an example for other states on how to mitigate the growing squatter problem.
Many other states legally protect tenants and require a lengthy and complicated court process to evict squatters from a property.
Broker Ben Caballero said criminals always seek protection through the law, which makes laws like Florida’s essential to combat these types of crimes.
A judge has sentenced a squatter in Florida to 30 days in jail after rejecting the defendant’s plea deal. A woman pleaded guilty last month in Jacksonville to trespassing and criminal mischief as squatting cases increase across the country.
Ajudge has sentenced a squatter in Florida to 30 days in jail after rejecting the defendant’s plea deal. A woman pleaded guilty last month in Jacksonville to trespassing and criminal mischief as squatting cases increase across the country.
Judge Julie Taylor said after the 30 days in jail, the squatter will face two years’ probation and must also pay $3,600 to the homeowner she victimized. This will be paid out in $200 monthly checks. Florida news outlets have not released the name of the woman due to the crimes being misdemeanors. To some, it’s a rare case in which squatters are being held accountable as homeowners report increasing numbers of unlawful tenants staying without paying rent.
Florida has also passed a law to prevent further squatting cases like these, now allowing law enforcement to remove squatters from a homeowner’s property if no proof of lease is available. While the homeowner and squatter in this case originally reached a plea agreement to keep the defendant out of jail, the court chose to jail the squatter anyway because of the extent of the damage.
“The carpet was destroyed in all of the rooms with human feces, dog feces, eggs, garbage, trash,” homeowner Patti Peoples said, as reported by News 4 Jax. The squatter initially claimed she was the victim of a rental scam and stayed in the Jacksonville home for months without Peoples’ consent. Due to her claim, the defendant was able to stay while Peoples pursued the civil court process to evict her and another woman to regain access to her home.