Florida lawmakers have introduced legislation that they claim will close a loophole which has allowed squatters in the Sunshine State to exploit unsuspecting owners of property.

House Bill 621 was introduced by Republican Florida State Rep. Kevin Steele in response to Jacksonville resident Patti Peeples who gained national attention earlier this year after several squatters invaded her Jacksonville property, causing nearly $40,000 worth of damages.

Peeples discovered two female squatters had broken into her rental property after sending a handyman in to do repairs. She sent him there because she was expecting a home inspection, after showing the house 48 hours earlier to a potential buyer.

When Peeples asked the squatters if they could stay on her property, the squatters showed a fake lease and claimed that they were entitled to remain.

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The 34-day saga saw the squatters cause $38,000 in damage plus legal fees. This included smashed windows and walls, cabinets that were ripped off the wall, a missing washer and dryer, toilets that had been broken and fecal material scattered all over the house.

Peeples’ told Fox News that in April, “These squatters are better at knowing the law than most lawyers and they use it to their advantage. The police are completely hamstrung.” They know this is a civil issue. “They know that this is a civil matter.

Steele’s legislation would allow law enforcement to remove squatters immediately if they cannot produce a notarized landowner’s lease or proof that they are paying rent.

Steele said to News4Jax that she pursued the bill after seeing the impact it had on Patti, as well as other people in the state. “Number 2, we are imposing penalties on individuals who provide fraudulent documents. So. They’re going to face criminal charges for that.

Peeples stated that she was concerned for her safety when she had altercations or confrontations with the squatters.

Peeples stated, “We were driving past at night and they threw bricks at my car, damaging it. We had our window partially down and they threw human waste into the car.”

The bill was filed in November and would eliminate squatters rights in Florida. This state has been one of the most vulnerable to this problem in recent times.

Squatters have targeted homeowners across the United States this year. Many of them are left with no legal recourse, and police departments are unable to help due to the structure of the law.

In March, Jim Burlring told Fox News Digital that the problem was “fairly big” and “pretty hard to avoid”.

Burling explained that if someone is living in the home and says, “Hey, this is my place. These people don’t have a legal right to be there,” the police officer cannot make the determination.