TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A new bill filed in the Florida Legislature this week would help eliminate some late fees for renters in the state.
The bill — SB 716 — was filed on Thursday afternoon by state Sen. Shevrin Jones (D-Miami Gardens), and it would tack on a couple of provisions to state law regarding rent agreements.
Under current law, renters who receive notice of a missed payment have three days to get their payment in (not including weekends and holidays), after which landlords are given the ability to terminate the rent agreement.
But SB 716 tweaks this rule, changing the timeframe from three days to five and prohibiting landlords from imposing a fee or surcharge during this time.
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In addition, SB 716 says that certain provisions of rent agreements would be considered void if they do either of the following:
- Impose any fee or surcharge during the five-day period for paying rent
- Impose a period of time in which a tenant must pay an additional fee each rental period for a specified duration because the tenant was late in paying rent
If the bill is approved during next year’s legislative session, it is slated to take effect on July 1, 2026.
Meanwhile, an identical bill was filed in the House by state Rep. Dan Daley (D-Coral Springs).