Florida Tenant Harassment Laws

Florida prohibits landlord retaliation against tenants who exercise their legal rights, and separately prohibits self-help eviction tactics such as utility shutoffs, lock-outs, and removal of doors or windows (Fla. Stat. § 83.67).

Key Rules

Anti Harassment
Anti-retaliation statute; no specific anti-harassment law
Penalties
Tenant may raise retaliation as defense in eviction; recover actual and punitive damages
Retaliation Prohibited
Yes — actions within 1 year of protected activity may be found retaliatory
Utility Shutoffs
Landlord may not shut off utilities as a form of eviction (Fla. Stat. § 83.67 [ no source record])

Some citations below have not been confirmed against their official source. Confirm current requirements with local legal aid or an attorney.

Applicable Statutes

Fla. Stat. § 83.64

Retaliatory conduct prohibited: landlord may not retaliate against a tenant who has complained to a government agency, filed a complaint, or organized a tenant union.

Source confirmed · Official state source

View archived excerpt
“83.64 Retaliatory conduct.—(1) It is unlawful for a landlord to discriminatorily increase a tenant’s rent or decrease services to a tenant, or to bring or…”

Fla. Stat. § 760.34

Fair Housing Act enforcement: a person injured (or about to be injured) by a discriminatory housing practice may file a complaint with the Florida Commission on Human Relations, which investigates and attempts conciliation; the aggrieved person may also bring a civil action in court without first exhausting administrative remedies, and courts may impose a civil penalty of up to $10,000 per violation against a respondent with no prior violation.

Not confirmed against its source · checked

Legal Aid Resources

Community Law Program (St. Petersburg)

Pinellas County

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