DeSantis Allows Eviction Restrictions to Expire

Florida's limited eviction restrictions from Executive Order 20-180 (extended by EO 20-211) will expire at 12:01 a.m. on October 1, 2020. The governor's office stated that, "The State’s mortgage foreclosure and eviction relief was permitted to expire to avoid any confusion over whether the CDC’s evictions order should apply in a particular circumstance."

Once the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) enacted the federal eviction order, the Florida Apartment Association (FAA) began communicating the apartment industry's concerns to the governor's office. FAA advocated that Florida's state-specific eviction restrictions were creating confusion now that the CDC order was in place and should, therefore, be permitted to expire. We is grateful to see that this advocacy effort was successful. As a result, multifamily housing providers will be required to operate under one set of eviction restrictions at the federal level, instead of trying to navigate competing eviction restrictions at the state level.

It is important to note that the National Apartment Association (NAA) has joined a federal lawsuit challenging the CDC order. SWFAA members can rest assured that the association will share additional details about this lawsuit as they become available from NAA.