For the third time, Governor Ron DeSantis has extended the eviction moratorium but the latest extension protects only those that can prove a pandemic-created hardship has kept them from paying.
Who’s Covered
Tenants that have struggled to pay rent during the COVID-19 pandemic must prove that the pandemic is the reason they have fallen behind in order to keep legal protection from the eviction ban. The executive order safeguards those that have been negatively affected by the COVID-19 emergency which is defined as a job loss, diminished wages, or business income directly impacting the ability to make payments. Landlords may still evict tenants for reasons that are not related to nonpayment of rent.
What’s Next
Several landlords are getting a head start by filing paperwork for nonpayment eviction cases that will be initiated once the suspension is over. It is unclear the amount of evictions that will come once the state protection ends, although many are anticipating that there will be a significant amount of cases filed. The conflict left unresolved is how Floridians will pay back the money owed once the eviction protection ends as nothing in the moratorium forgives accumulated rent or mortgage obligations. With unemployment benefits expiring, many Americans are going to have struggles paying their monthly rent, let alone the thousands of dollars in past due rent.