What are the steps to evict a tenant for unpaid rent in Florida?
In Florida, an eviction for unpaid rent runs through 6 steps, each set by the statute or court rule beside it: (1) Serve a 3-day notice to pay rent or vacate — Fla. Stat. § 83.56(3); (2) File a complaint for eviction in the county court — Fla. Stat. § 83.59; (3) Summons served by the sheriff or a process server — Fla. Stat. § 48.183; (4) Five working days to answer AND deposit the rent — Fla. Stat. § 83.60(2); (5) Judgment for possession — Fla. Stat. § 83.59; (6) Writ of possession — 24 hours’ notice — Fla. Stat. § 83.62. Florida’s registry-deposit rule is the most consequential detail in the state: a tenant who does not deposit the rent claimed loses the right to defend, and the landlord may move for a default judgment for possession. The procedure as a whole is set by Fla. Stat. §§ 83.56, 83.59, 83.60, 83.62, 83.67; Fla. Stat. § 51.011.
| What | Florida |
|---|---|
| Court | County Court for the county where the property is. |
| Steps with a citation | 6 |
Notes
Florida’s registry-deposit rule is the most consequential detail in the state: a tenant who does not deposit the rent claimed loses the right to defend, and the landlord may move for a default judgment for possession.
Source
Fla. Stat. §§ 83.56, 83.59, 83.60, 83.62, 83.67; Fla. Stat. § 51.011 — last checked 2026-09-16.
This is a summary of the published procedure, not legal advice. Courts, local rules and the facts of a tenancy change what applies, and a defect in a notice or a filing can end a case. Have a lawyer review anything before it is served or filed.
How Seayora uses this rule
Seayora does not file, serve or appear in an eviction, and is not anybody’s lawyer. When a tenant has stopped paying, it lays out these steps for the property’s own state and city with the statute beside each one, holds back any step that would come too early, keeps an append-only record of the case — and shows the resident what would end it, legal-aid links included.
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The same question in other states
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