Florida: Eviction Notice Requirements

Requirements one by one

Governing law

Florida's eviction-notice rules are in the Florida Residential Landlord and
Tenant Act. The termination notices — pay-or-quit for rent and cure/quit for
other violations — are in Fla. Stat. § 83.56. The rule for ending a tenancy
with no set duration (like month-to-month) is in § 83.57. The retaliation
defense is in § 83.64.

Notice for unpaid rent

If you don't pay rent when due, the landlord may terminate only after the
default "continues for 3 days, excluding Saturday, Sunday, and legal holidays,
after delivery of written demand by the landlord for payment of the rent or
possession of the premises" (§ 83.56(3)). Two points matter: the count skips
weekends and court holidays, and the statute prescribes the exact wording of the
demand — a notice that doesn't substantially follow the statutory form, or that
demands the wrong things, can be challenged.

Notice for a lease violation

For a violation you can fix, the landlord serves a 7-day notice to cure: it must
specify the noncompliance and warn that "if the noncompliance is not corrected
within 7 days from the date that the written notice is delivered, the landlord
shall terminate the rental agreement" (§ 83.56(2)(b)). The statute's own
examples are unauthorized pets, guests, or vehicles, unauthorized parking, and
failing to keep the unit clean. If the same kind of violation recurs within 12
months, the landlord can move straight to eviction without another notice.

Unconditional quit (no cure allowed)

Some conduct gets no second chance. If the violation "is of a nature that the
tenant should not be given an opportunity to cure it" — the statute names
intentional "destruction, damage, or misuse" of property and a "continued
unreasonable disturbance" — or if it is a repeat violation within 12 months of a
written warning, the landlord serves a notice stating the lease is terminated
and "the tenant shall have 7 days from the date that the notice is delivered to
vacate the premises" (§ 83.56(2)(a)). There is no right to cure and stay.

Ending a month-to-month tenancy

To end a tenancy that has no fixed end date, either side gives written notice
under § 83.57. For a month-to-month tenancy that means "not less than 30 days'
notice prior to the end of any monthly period." The other periods scale with the
rent cycle: 7 days for week-to-week, 30 days for quarter-to-quarter, and 60 days
for year-to-year. (Florida raised the month-to-month figure from 15 days to 30
days in 2023 — older forms and charts that still say "15 days" are out of date.)

Just cause to evict required?

No. Florida has no statewide law requiring a landlord to have a legally defined
"just cause" to end a tenancy. Once a fixed-term lease ends or on proper § 83.57
notice for a periodic tenancy, a landlord can decline to renew or can terminate
for no stated reason. (A handful of Florida localities have their own tenant
notice ordinances; those are local add-ons outside what this state-law survey
tracks.)

How the notice must be served

Section 83.56(4) sets the delivery methods: the landlord may mail it, hand you a
true copy, e-mail it "in accordance with s. 83.505," or, "if the tenant is
absent from the premises, by leaving a copy thereof at the residence." The same
subsection says these notice requirements "may not be waived in the rental
agreement," so a lease clause trying to shorten or skip the notice is
unenforceable.

Tenant's right to cure/reinstate

For a rent default, paying the full amount demanded within the 3-day window ends
the matter — the notice is a demand for "payment of the rent or possession." If
you pay part of the rent after a nonpayment notice is posted, the landlord
doesn't automatically waive the eviction, but must then give you a receipt, put
the partial payment in the court registry, or post a fresh 3-day notice for the
new balance (§ 83.56(5)(a)). Separately, a tenant who acted in good faith may
raise "retaliatory conduct" as a defense — for example, being evicted primarily
because you reported a code violation or organized with other tenants
(§ 83.64(1)) — though that defense fails if the landlord proves the eviction is
for good cause like nonpayment.

What trips people up

"Three days" is not three calendar days. The nonpayment clock excludes
Saturdays, Sundays, and court-observed holidays, so a notice delivered late in
the week can leave you until the following week to pay. Count only court days.

The nonpayment notice has to use the statutory language and demand the right
amount. Section 83.56(3) sets out the required form. Florida courts routinely
dismiss eviction cases built on a 3-day notice that demanded late fees or other
charges as if they were rent, or that miscalculated the days.

Curing once doesn't reset the clock forever. If you fix a violation but the
same kind of problem recurs within 12 months, the landlord can proceed to
evict without giving you another 7-day cure notice.

Common questions

My 3-day notice was delivered on a Friday — is Monday my deadline? No. The
statute excludes Saturday, Sunday, and court-observed holidays, so the weekend
doesn't count; the three days run on days the court is open.

Can my landlord end my month-to-month lease just because they want to? Yes,
if they give at least 30 days' written notice before the end of a monthly
period. Florida has no statewide just-cause requirement, so no reason has to be
stated (check whether your city has added its own rule).

Can my landlord change the locks or shut off my power instead of going to
court? No. Only a court can order an eviction in Florida; a lockout, a utility
shutoff, or removing your belongings to force you out is prohibited and exposes
the landlord to damages.

Statutes and sources

• Fla. Stat. § 83.56(3) — 3-day (weekends/holidays-excluded) notice to pay rent or deliver possession.
  https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0000-0099/0083/Sections/0083.56.html (accessed 2026-07-10)
• Fla. Stat. § 83.56(2)(b) — 7-day notice to cure a fixable violation.
  https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0000-0099/0083/Sections/0083.56.html (accessed 2026-07-10)
• Fla. Stat. § 83.56(2)(a) — 7-day notice to vacate for a non-curable or repeat violation.
  https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0000-0099/0083/Sections/0083.56.html (accessed 2026-07-10)
• Fla. Stat. § 83.56(4) — permitted delivery methods; notice cannot be waived.
  https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0000-0099/0083/Sections/0083.56.html (accessed 2026-07-10)
• Fla. Stat. § 83.57 — notice to end a tenancy of no set duration (30-day month-to-month, etc.).
  https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0000-0099/0083/Sections/0083.57.html (accessed 2026-07-10)
• Fla. Stat. § 83.56(5)(a) — partial-rent-acceptance rules after a nonpayment notice.
  https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0000-0099/0083/Sections/0083.56.html (accessed 2026-07-10)
• Fla. Stat. § 83.64(1) — retaliatory-eviction defense.
  https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0000-0099/0083/Sections/0083.64.html (accessed 2026-07-10)