
DESANTIS SIGNS LAW IN HONOR OF SLAIN COLLEGE STUDENT MIYA MARCANO
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill, “Miya’s Law,” that will require apartment landlords to conduct background checks on employees, maintain a log for each dwelling unit’s keys, and increase notification requirements for maintenance and repairs from 12 to 24 hours. Miya’s Law was implemented in honor of 19-year-old Valencia College student Miya Marcano, who was killed in her apartment last year.
19-year-old Miya Marcano went missing from her apartment complex in Florida on September 24th. A few days later, she was found who dead in the woods near an Orlando apartment complex. Court documents list Armando Caballero, a maintenance worker at the complex, as the killer. Miya’s body was found near the area where Caballero once resided. Since access to Miya’s apartment to Caballero was provided by Arden Villas, they are held responsible for the negligent safety of the occupants of the complex. Caballero took his own life on September 27th, after Miya went missing.
“Every tenant deserves to be safe in their own home,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “By signing this legislation, we are making it safer to live in a rental unit and giving renters more peace of mind in their homes. Miya’s death was a tragedy, and our prayers continue to be with the Marcano family. I am proud to act on their behalf to help prevent a tragedy like that from happening to another Florida tenant.”
The law is set in place for apartments with 25 or more units, but not condominiums. The new law will go into effect at the end of June.
“Today is the day we have all been waiting for. I’d like to thank the Governor for his approval of this very important bill, but I would also like to thank the many stakeholders and the group of bi-partisan supporters who all worked countless hours to get this bill to where we are today,” said State Sen Linda Stewart, D-Orlando, who co-sponsored the bill, in a statement.
“My daughter is my world,” Marcano’s dad said in a statement. “… With the passing of Miya’s Law, I am extremely grateful to everyone involved and I want the community to know that we will do everything we can to ensure what happened to our Miya doesn’t happen to anyone else.”