Student's Homicide Prompts Signing Of Renter Safety Bill By DeSantis

FLORIDA — Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed a bill intended to ensure the safety of Floridians who rent apartments following the homicide of an Orlando student at the hands of an employee at her apartment complex.

Senate Bill 898, known as “Miya’s Law”, strengthens residential tenant safety measures including requiring background checks for prospective employees, maintaining a log for each dwelling unit’s keys, and increasing notification requirements for maintenance and repairs from 12 to 24 hours.

The bill is named after Miya Marcano, a 19-year-old Valencia College student who was killed in 2021. A maintenance worker at her apartment complex is accused of her homicide after entering her apartment with a key he obtained from the apartment complex's leasing office.

Authorities discovered her body in a wooded area nearly 18 miles from her apartment.

The suspect in her death, Armando Caballero, was found dead by suicide on Sept. 27, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Office.

“Every tenant deserves to be safe in their own home,” said DeSantis. “By signing this legislation, we are making it safer to live in a rental unit and giving renters more peace of mind in their homes. Miya’s death was a tragedy, and our prayers continue to be with the Marcano family. I am proud to act on their behalf to help prevent a tragedy like that from happening to another Florida tenant.”

“Today is the day we have all been waiting for. I’d like to thank the governor for his approval of this very important bill, but I would also like to thank the many stakeholders and the group of bi-partisan supporters who all worked countless hours to get this bill to where we are today,” said state Sen. Linda Stewart, D-Orlando, who co-sponsored the bill with state Rep. Robin Bartleman, D-Weston.

In addition to the background screenings of all employees, the new law reinforces rules on an employee or landlord’s access to units at apartments. The bill increases the required notice before entry of a unit to 24 hours, and requires apartments to maintain a key log monitoring the issuance and return of all keys granting access to each unit.

“While Miya’s family will never receive justice and nothing can bring back their daughter, I do hope that with this new law going into effect, in honor of Miya, that some peace will be brought to the family in knowing that their daughter’s death was not in vain,” said Stewart.

The majority of the bill focuses on tenant safety; however, in an effort to curb human trafficking, a provision is also included that prohibits hourly rentals at lodging establishments.

SB 898 directs landlords or licensees of transient and non-transient apartments to require all employees to undergo a background screening as a condition of employment. A person may be disqualified from employment if found guilty of certain offenses involving violence and disregard for safety.

Apartments will also be required to maintain a log accounting for the issuance and return of all keys and establish policies for their issuance, return and storage. The apartment’s key log and background screenings will be subject to the Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s annual inspection of apartments.

Additionally, the bill changes the requirement for "reasonable notice" for entry of a unit for maintenance and repairs from 12 hours to 24 hours’ notice.

The majority of the bill focuses on tenant safety; however, in an effort to curb human trafficking, a provision is also included that prohibits hourly rentals at lodging establishments.