Florida law gives property owners a sheriff-assisted way to remove certain people unlawfully occupying a residential dwelling. It does not let an owner label any unwanted occupant a “squatter” and skip the legal process that actually applies.
The distinction matters. A stranger who entered a vacant home without permission is not the same situation as a renter who stopped paying, a relative who refuses to leave, or someone disputing ownership. Before taking action, identify the relationship and gather the records.
Who can use the limited procedure?
Under section 82.036, the owner or an authorized agent must meet all statutory conditions. These include unlawful entry and continuing occupancy, a property that was not open to the public when the person entered, and a direction to leave. The occupant cannot be a current or former tenant under an owner-authorized oral or written rental agreement, or an immediate family member. Relevant litigation cannot already be pending between the parties.
Those are meaningful limitations, not paperwork technicalities. If someone once had permission to live there, explain that history fully rather than leaving it out because it complicates the request.
The sheriff, not the neighborhood, handles removal
The process requires a verified complaint submitted to the sheriff in the property’s county. The complaint is signed under penalty of perjury. The sheriff verifies ownership or agency and apparent eligibility before serving the notice and restoring possession. Wrongful removal can expose the requester to damages, costs, attorney fees, and restoration of the occupant’s possession.
The original law took effect in 2024, but the current statute includes later amendments. Use current instructions and forms rather than a saved social-media checklist or an old downloadable form.
What to prepare before making the request
- Collect ownership records and any documentation authorizing someone to act for the owner.
- Write a factual timeline: discovery, known entry circumstances, communications, and the direction to leave.
- Gather any lease, payment, permission, or title documents, including material that may support the occupant’s position.
- Keep original photographs and messages. Do not edit away dates or context.
- Ask the sheriff’s civil-process staff which current form, identification, service fees, and supporting records they require.
In Manatee County, start with the Sheriff’s Office’s official contact route. An immediate threat or crime in progress is a different situation from a routine civil-process question.
Avoid making a difficult situation worse
Do not confront occupants, organize neighbors to remove them, or treat this article as permission to change locks, remove belongings, or cut utilities. Where permission, tenancy, family status, or ownership is disputed, a Florida attorney can help determine the correct route before someone is harmed.
A useful first question is not “How fast can they be removed?” It is “Which legal process fits these facts?” Getting that answer right protects the owner as well as everyone else involved.
General information checked October 22, 2026; not legal advice for a particular property.
Primary sources: Current Florida section 82.036; original 2024 enactment; Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.