Florida Couple Squatting in Family's Home Caught After Trying to Rent It Out: Sheriff

A squatting Florida couple was arrested after allegedly trying to rent out the home that did not belong to them.

Neighbors noticed Laura Santos, 45, and Daniel Sablich, 38, were using a water pressure and water tank to clean the house, which had been devastated by hurricanes.

"They were working over there. Nobody paid attention to that because they seemed very confident as to what they were doing," Jorge Velazquez, a neighbor, told FOX 13.

The squatters' claims that they allegedly knew the family and had permission to be on the property went sideways after Santos asked a neighbor for money while offering to pressure wash their home and another neighbor saw the home listed for rent on Facebook for $900 a month.

A neighbor contacted police, who learned the squatters had no connection to the home's rightful owners. House Bill 621, which was passed in March 2024, allowed law enforcement to act swiftly to arrest Santos and Sablich.

"I know it was frustrating for people. I know how long it was taking six to eight months through the regular eviction process," Sheriff Kurt Hoffman of the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office told FOX 13. "Unfortunately, there was somebody who was perpetrating this fraud, but with the new statute, we were able to go in and affect an arrest."

Sablich was charged with burglary and released on bail while Santos remains in jail on multiple charges, including fraud, burglary, marijuana possession and using a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony.