South FL Landlord Mandates COVID-19 Vaccine For Renters: Report

Miami FL

07 September, 2021

4:52 PM

Description

SOUTH FL — A landlord who owns eight apartment complexes totaling about 1,200 housing units in Broward and Miami-Dade counties has imposed a COVID-19 vaccine mandate on his tenants. Santiago A. Alvarez said that any tenant who is unvaccinated by the time their lease comes up for renewal will need to move out, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported. During the pandemic, he's seen a number of tenants — from 12 to 15 people — die from COVID-19 and even more contracted the virus. His policy defies Gov. Ron DeSantis' vaccine passport ban, which prevents businesses from asking customers their vaccination status and denying them service because of it. Under this ban, businesses could be fined $5,000 for each violation. "We have to be concerned about our tenants and our employees," Alvarez told the Sun Sentinel. "All of these are private properties. We're just trying to keep people safe and healthy. It's going to cost us money, but we're very firm on that." Read more at the South Florida Sun Sentinel.