Florida landlord sounds the alarm over state's squatter problem: 'Property rights in this state are absurd'
Patti Peeples tells 'Jesse Watters Primetime' she has had enough of 'squatter's rights'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A Florida landlord is speaking out and raising awareness about a squatter problem in the state after several squatters moved into her Jacksonville property and caused nearly $40,000 in damages.
Patti Peeples shot a video inside the property showing holes in the walls, doors ripped off hinges and feces on the carpet. She confronted the squatters, telling them she owned the property. "It doesn't f****** matter," the squatter replied.
Peeples explained that the squatters broke into the property by drilling out the deadbolt and replacing it with their own. "That right there was when I lost control of my property," she said this week on "Jesse Watters Primetime."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}WASHINGTON PROPERTY OWNER SAYS SQUATTERS RETURNED AFTER SWAT RAID: ‘I’M GOING TO GIVE UP'
Patti Peeples, a Florida landlord, says squatters caused almost $40,000 worth of damage to her Jacksonville property. (Screengrab/ Jesse Watters Primetime)
The squatters broke into her property by drilling off the deadbolt. (Screengrab/ Jesse Watters Primetime)
"These squatters know the laws better than most attorneys do, and they use them to their advantage. And the police are absolutely hamstrung. They know that this is a civil matter. The police have absolutely no right to remove these squatters and treat them as criminals, as individuals that have broken in or trespassed, and they simply throw up their hands and say, ‘you need to go through this civil court system and evict them,’" Peeples added.
She said the court process can take up to 30 days or 6 months and in some cities nationwide, it can take 18 months or more. "This is a nationwide problem," she told guest host Pete Hegseth.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}SQUATTERS TORMENT HOMEOWNERS ACROSS US WITH NO RESOLUTION IN SIGHT: ‘IT’S A PROBLEM'
Hegseth was shocked by the process and asked Peeples if she would be able to call an uncle or a buddy and physically remove the squatters from the home. "Would you be the bad guy?" he asked.
"We would be in jail," Peeples responded. "In fact, I couldn't even turn off the electricity and the water. We are prevented from doing that. So not only did they steal a home to live in for a period of time, but they lived in relative comfort with a washer-dryer, which they stole, a fully stocked kitchen with all of the appliances and heat, air conditioning and water."
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The landlord shared that she would like Gov. Ron DeSantis to "focus on property rights."
"I invite him, instead of focusing on Disney, I welcome him to focus on this critical issue that's affecting almost every community in the state of Florida," she said. "Property rights in this state are absurd."
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