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Florida Squatters Insurance Is Now Available

Author Joe Winner

Squatting has been in the news a lot lately, peaking over the weekend as two squatters were arrested in New York after a woman was found dead and stuffed in a duffel bag. The topic has also been trending on Tik Tok as one influencer urged migrants to squat in homes. If you rent your home, or, like many Southwest Florida Snowbirds – leave for extended periods of time, you may want to look into Florida squatters insurance.

Squatters Rights

Squatting has become a huge issue across the county. One main target is that squatters are known to take over vacant homes that are for sale. Across the county, in Atlanta reports show that some people are afraid to go on vacation and leave their home.  Squatters in California took over a home in the same neighborhood as Jennifer Lopez and LeBron James. Last week in New York, a homeowner was arrested after she confronted a squatter. It’s here locally, too. Squatters have been arrested in Naples, Cape Coral, and other parts of Southwest Florida. Squatting is quickly becoming an epidemic.

Squatters have rights that vary from state to state, but here in Florida things just became a whole lot stricter. According to Weartv, a new law that came up earlier this month. “House Bill 621 authorizes property owners to request action by the sheriff’s office to immediately remove squatters from your home.” Before this new law, homeowners faced a lengthy court process to evict unwanted squatters. Now, the local sheriff will be required to issue the eviction notice and remove the squatters. This is good news for Snowbirds and those who rent their Florida house on platforms such as Airbnb.

Florida Squatters Insurance

Make no mistake, there is a housing crisis in Florida, prompting some residents to take drastic actions. One of those actions may be taking over someone’s vacant home. The new Florida law looks to make it easier to evict Florida squatters, but it’s still too soon to know. Through some research, we found a short term rental insurance policy from Proper Insurance that offers squatter protection. The policy covers “both legal and lost income protection.” So, if this is a real concern for you, it might be something to look into.

How to protect your home against squatters.

Here in Southwest Florida, we have a lot of Snowbirds. These home and condo owners are only here 6 months (or less) out of the year. So how can you prevent someone from taking up residence when you’re up north?

  • Make sure your home is physically secure. You don’t need to wait for a storm to put down those hurricane shutters.
  • Motion Lights. A fairly cheap, yet effective deterrent.
  • Add a couple of cameras to your alarm system. Getting squatters out of your home as soon as possible is key.
  • Make friends in the neighborhood. Know your neighbors, especially if one is in law enforcement. They can keep an eye on your place while you’re gone. Don’t forget to take them to dinner when you get back.
  • Avoid buying in California, New York and Oregon. Those seem to be the most “pro-squatter” states.

I added that last one because there’s a LOT of New Yorkers that come to Florida for the winter. Especially in Cape Coral. Your place up north may be vulnerable while you’re down here fishing.

Florida is taking a very active step against squatting. If it’s successful the policy will likely be copied in other states. Until then, take the steps to protect what’s yours. Florida Squatters Insurance may be something to look into.

The Best Florida Restaurants of 2024

Florida has multiple listings on the newly released Top 100 list from Yelp. Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa, and the whole Miami area have restaurants that made the cut. But one notable omission was Southwest Florida. Of all the outstanding places to eat in Naples, Fort Myers, and Cape Coral – not one of ours made the list. However, on the Florida only list, Fort Myers, Naples, and Fort Myers Beach all made the top 100.

Another observation, the Florida Keys, with some of the best seafood in the world, were also omitted from the country’s top 100. So this list is what’s known as ‘rarified air’. The best of the best. So where are the best Florida restaurants of 2024?

The best Florida restaurant is at number 5, So where are the top 4 located?

Before we get to the best Florida restaurants, let’s see where the top 4 are located, and what makes them so special. What I noticed off the bat, these are not super expensive places. Just great food.

  1. Tumerico. It’s a taco place in Tucson, AZ that specializes in vegetarian. The reviews state “This is the place you drag non-vegetarians to for vegetarian food.” One thing to note, the reviews from this place are from all over the country. People will make the drive for these tacos.
  2. Menya Rui. It’s a ramen spot in Saint Louis. Recommended are the  “fried chicken bites appetizer and any of the ramens or tsukemen.”
  3. Sunny Side Kitchen. A breakfast and lunch cafe in Escondido, California. If you believe the reviews, this is the best panini in the country.
  4. GS Cafe and Ethiopian Cuisine. Ethiopian food in Covina, California. Extra points for being a family run business.

Related: 3 Southwest Florida Favorites Make Yelp’s Top 100 Florida Restaurants List

Ok, let’s stick close to home and focus on the Florida restaurants on the list.

Strangely enough, despite our extensive coastlines, most of the best Florida restaurants don’t specialize in seafood. Here’s the list of places, and their national ranking on Yelp.

 

Joe Winner spends his days combing through memes and off beat stories to bring you the side of Florida not always seen.

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