Today, Governor Ron DeSantis signed Senate Bill (SB) 898, also known as “Miya’s Law,” which strengthens tenant safety regulations for residential properties by requiring background checks for potential employees, keeping track of all keys to each unit, and requiring 24-hour notice for maintenance and repairs.
The bill bears the name of Miya Marcano, a young student from Orlando who sadly killed in her apartment in 2021 after a maintenance person broke into it using an apartment key fob.
In accordance with SB 898, all employees must submit to a background check as a condition of employment for landlords or licensees of both transient and non-transient units.
If a person has been convicted of certain crimes including violence and disrespect for safety, they may be excluded from work.
Additionally, apartments will need to set up procedures for key issue, return, and storage, as well as keep a log of all key issuance and return activities.
The annual apartment inspection by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation will include a review of the apartment’s key record and background checks.
The law also raises the threshold for “reasonable notice” from 12 hours to 24 hours when it comes to entering a unit for maintenance or repairs.
The bill also forbids owners of public lodging facilities from charging an hourly cost for a room.