Fla. Stat. § 83.40 et seq. § 83.67
Prohibited practices.
Operative Text
(1) A landlord of any dwelling unit governed by this part shall not cause, directly or indirectly, the termination or interruption of any utility service furnished the tenant, including, but not limited to, water, heat, light, electricity, gas, elevator, garbage collection, or refrigeration, whether or not the utility service is under the control of, or payment is made by, the landlord. (2) A landlord of any dwelling unit governed by this part shall not prevent the tenant from gaining reasonable access to the dwelling unit by any means, including, but not limited to, changing the locks or using any bootlock or similar device. (3) A landlord of any dwelling unit governed by this part shall not discriminate against a servicemember in offering a dwelling unit for rent or in any of the terms of the rental agreement. (4) A landlord shall not prohibit a tenant from displaying one portable, removable, cloth or plastic United States flag, not larger than 4 and 1 / 2 feet by 6 feet, in a respectful manner in or on the dwelling unit regardless of any provision in the rental agreement dealing with flags or decorations. The United States flag shall be displayed in accordance with s. 83.52(6). The landlord is not liable for damages caused by a United States flag displayed by a tenant. Any United States flag may not infringe upon the space rented by any other tenant. (5) A landlord of any dwelling unit governed by this part shall not remove the outside doors, locks, roof, walls, or windows of the unit except for purposes of maintenance, repair, or replacement; and the landlord shall not remove the tenant’s personal property from the dwelling unit unless such action is taken after surrender, abandonment, recovery of possession of the dwelling unit due to the death of the last remaining tenant in accordance with s. 83.59(3)(d), or a lawful eviction. If provided in the rental agreement or a written agreement separate from the rental agreement, upon surrender or abandonment by the tenant, the landlord is not required to comply with s. 715.104 and is not liable or responsible for storage or disposition of the tenant’s personal property; if provided in the rental agreement, there must be printed or clearly stamped on such rental agreement a legend in substantially the following form: BY SIGNING THIS RENTAL AGREEMENT, THE TENANT AGREES THAT UPON SURRENDER, ABANDONMENT, OR RECOVERY OF POSSESSION OF THE DWELLING UNIT DUE TO THE DEATH OF THE LAST REMAINING TENANT, AS PROVIDED BY CHAPTER 83, FLORIDA STATUTES, THE LANDLORD SHALL NOT BE LIABLE OR RESPONSIBLE FOR STORAGE OR DISPOSITION OF THE TENANT’S PERSONAL PROPERTY. For the purposes of this section, abandonment shall be as set forth in s. 83.59(3)(c). (6) A landlord who violates any provision of this section shall be liable to the tenant for actual and consequential damages or 3 months’ rent, whichever is greater, and costs, including attorney’s fees. Subsequent or repeated violations that are not contemporaneous with the initial violation shall be subject to separate awards of damages. (7) A violation of this section constitutes irreparable harm for the purposes of injunctive relief. (8) The remedies provided by this section are not exclusive and do not preclude the tenant from pursuing any other remedy at law or equity that the tenant may have. The remedies provided by this section shall also apply to a servicemember who is a prospective tenant who has been discriminated against under subsection (3).
Florida Statute § 83.67 identifies a set of actions that residential landlords are prohibited from taking against tenants. These include cutting off utility services, blocking access to the unit (such as by changing locks), discriminating against servicemembers, removing structural elements of the unit, or removing a tenant's personal property outside of lawful circumstances. A landlord who violates any of these prohibitions may be held liable for the greater of actual and consequential damages or three months' rent, plus attorney's fees, and courts may grant injunctive relief because violations are deemed to constitute irreparable harm.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under Fla. Stat. § 83.67, compliant operators maintain uninterrupted utility services for tenants regardless of who controls or pays for those utilities, and they never change locks or otherwise block access to a unit as a means of pressuring a tenant. Landlords also ensure that structural components such as doors, locks, and windows are only removed for legitimate maintenance, repair, or replacement purposes, and that personal property is only removed after a lawful eviction, surrender, abandonment, or the death of the last remaining tenant under the procedures outlined in the statute. Operators who include personal-property disposition clauses in rental agreements must ensure those agreements carry the specific legend language required by § 83.67(5) to limit liability for storage or disposition.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Fla. Stat. § 83.67 gives tenants the right to uninterrupted utilities, continued access to their home, and protection against removal of structural elements or personal property outside of lawful circumstances. If a landlord engages in any of the prohibited practices listed in this section, a tenant may be entitled to the greater of actual and consequential damages or three months' rent, plus costs and attorney's fees, and may also seek injunctive relief. Tenants who believe their landlord has violated § 83.67 can explore options such as raising the violation as a defense in eviction proceedings, filing a complaint with a local housing authority, or consulting a tenant-rights organization for guidance on available remedies.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated October 28, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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