Recent Posts

The Size of 66 Food Subindustries in 2023

Written by Ricky Nave in Markets

Subindustries of the food industry

There are many subindustries within the food industry (e.g. wheat farming, flour milling, bread production, fast food restaurants, etc). In this article, I list 66 of these subindustries along with the total U.S. revenue and average profit margin for each. Industries which are both large and profitable are highlighted in purple while industries that especially small and/or unprofitable are highlighted in orange. Use this list as a guide when selecting what kind of business to start or how to expand your existing food industry business.

IndustryU.S. Industry RevenueU.S. Industry Profit Margin
1Beef Cattle Production

(i.e. farming cattle and selling to meat processing plants & beef wholesalers)		$85 Billion4.0%
2Beef and Pork Wholesaling

(i.e. buying beef & pork from farmers and selling to retailers)		$109 Billion2.4%
3Meat Processing

(i.e. buying, slaughtering, processing, and packaging livestock and poultry, selling the resulting products to wholesalers and food manufacturers and retailers, and selling the byproducts as oil or leather)		$296 Billion5.2%
4Hot Dog & Sausage Production$23 Billion4.5%
5Corn Farming$95 Billion14.3%
6Wheat, Barley, and Sorghum Farming$17.7 Billion16.1%
7Bread Production$53 Billion4.6%
8Bread & Bakery Products Wholesaling

(Primary customers are cafes and grocery stores)

Primary products:
– Cookies & cakes (51.9%)
– Bread & rolls (26.5%)
– Other baked goods, including crackers (13.9%)
– Baking mixes & dough (7.7%)

Example products:
– Sara Lee cakes
– Oreo cookies
– Bagged bread in bread aisle		$58 Billion2.6%
9Soybean Farming$64 Billion13.0%
10Corn, Wheat, and Soybean Wholesaling$275 Billion4.1%
11Flour Milling

Product categories:
– Wheat flours (43.6%)
– Rice flours (20.6%)
– Corn products (8.3%)
– Malt products (4.8%)
– Other (22.7%)		$27 Billion7.0%
12Breakfast Cereal Production

(i.e. buying ingredients, manufacturing boxed/packaged cereal, and selling it to wholesalers and grocery stores)		$12.5 Billion6.9%
13Tortilla Production$6.4 Billion7.2%
14Sugar Processing

(i.e. buying sugarcane and sugar beets, refining it into various forms of usable sugar, and then primarily selling it to processed food manufacturers)		$13.2 Billion7.6%
15Farm Animal Feed Production

(i.e. buying soybeans, corn, and other ingredients, manufacturing food for farm animals, and then selling it to cattle ranches, hog farms, and other animal farms)		$46 Billion2.7%
16Fruit & Nut Farming

Biggest product categories:
– Grapes (19.6%) – sold primarily to winemakers
– Almonds (18.2%)
– Strawberries (13.4%)
– Apples (10.7%)
– Cherries, Blueberries & Cranberries (8.2%)
– Pecans & Walnuts (5.5%)
– Other (24.4%)		$23 Billion6.7%
17Vegetable Farming$21 Billion6.1%
18Leafy Greens Farming$5.2 Billion11.0%
19Hydroponic Crop Farming$800 Million4.4%
20Olive Oil Production

*Note: Most olive oil consumed in the U.S. is imported which is why this number is so low		$82 Million3.4%
21Kombucha Production$1.3 Billion3.9%
22Whiskey & Bourbon Distilleries$5.7 Billion2.6%
23Vodka Distilleries$4.2 Billion9.8%
24Wineries$27 Billion4.7%
25Breweries

(i.e. brewing beer and then selling it to wholesalers and retailers)		$38 Billion2.4%
26Craft Beer Production$7.7 Billion4.3%
27Beer Wholesaling$89 Billion4.2%
28Cider Production$540 Million3.1%
29Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores$82 Billion3.8%
30Tofu$100-300 Million10%
31Dairy Farms$59 Billion6.3%
32Dairy Wholesaling$117 Billion1.2%
33Dairy Product Production

(i.e. buying milk, producing milk, butter, cheese, dry and condensed milk, and other dairy products, and then selling to wholesalers, retailers, and food service companies)		$164 Billion3.1%
34Cheese Production

Product categories
– American cheeses (40.8%)
– Italian cheeses (41.5%)
– Other cheeses (17.7%)		$68 Billion3.2%
35Ice Cream Production$10.6 Billion4.9%
36Yogurt Production

(i.e. purchasing ingredients, manufacturing yogurt, and then selling it to wholesalers/distributors, supermarkets, and convenience stores)		$8.2 Billion1.7%
37Frozen Yogurt Stores$677 Million5.7%
38Juice & Smoothie Bars$2.7 Billion4.8%
39Soda Production$42 Billion5.1%
40Juice Production

(i.e. Buying ingredients, producing & bottling/packaging juice, and then selling juice products to wholesalers and retailers)		$14.0 Billion10.7%
41Frozen Food Production

Product categories:
– Frozen meals & prepared foods (41.6%)
– Frozen veggies (31.4%)
– Frozen pizza (18.6%)
– Frozen fruit & juice concentrates (8.4%)		$44 Billion2.0%
42Salad Dressing Production$4.2 Billion5.5%
43Seasoning, Sauce, and Condiment Production$31 Billion5.8%
44Snack Food Production

(i.e. Buying ingredients, manufacturing snack foods such as chips, pretzels, roasted & salted nuts, peanut butter, and popcorn, and then selling the snack foods to wholesalers/distributors and grocery stores)		$43 Billion14.1%
45Chocolate Production

(i.e. buying cacao beans, milk, sugar, and other ingredients, processing them into chocolate-based confectionery, and selling the resulting products to wholesalers, retailers, and other intermediaries)		$19.9 Billion13.9%
46Specialty Chocolate Retail Stores$1.4 Billion10.5%
47Confectionery Wholesaling

(i.e. wholesaling candy and sugary pastries)		$69 Billion3.5%
48Candy Production$12.9 Billion4.0%
49Coffee Production

(i.e. buying coffee beans and other ingredients, producing coffee products like roasted beans, coffee grounds, ready-to-drink coffee, and instant coffee, and then selling the products to wholesalers and supermarkets)

Products categories:
– 39.4% single-serve coffee (e.g. K-cups)
– 31% roasted beans & coffee grounds
– 22.5% instant coffee
– 7.1% ready-to-drink coffee		$13.0 Billion10.4%
50Starbucks

(U.S. sales only)		$24 Billion20%
51Coffee & Snack Shops$64 Billion4.0%
52McDonalds

(U.S. sales only)		$9.4 Billion31%
53Fast Food Restaurants$388 Billion5.2%
54Single Location Full-Service Restaurants$234 Billion4.2%
55Mexican Restaurants$80 Billion4.4%
56Pizza Restaurants$65 Billion5.1%
57Italian Restaurants$86 Billion4.9%
58Chinese Restaurants$26 Billion5.3%
59Korean Restaurants$5.4 Billion3.6%
60Premium Steak Restaurants$6.7 Billion4.7%
61Buffet Restaurants$5.5 Billion4.8%
62Sushi Restaurants$28 Billion7.0%
63Burger Restaurants$177 Billion6.0%
64Vegetarian & Vegan Restaurants$31 Billion4.2%
65Sandwich & Sub Restaurants$45 Billion5.3%
66Food Trucks$1.5 Billion6.4%

If you’re thinking of starting a food blog or food Youtube channel, you should also check out this list of 17 real, successful, niche food industry blogs.

If you want to start your own farm, then consider renting chickens or growing one of the 18 most lucrative cash crops for small farms.

If you want to start a poultry farm, check out this overview of the U.S. turkey industry first.

How Big is the U.S. Leafy Greens Market?

Written by Ricky Nave in Markets

According to the USDA, U.S. farmers sold $21.8 billion of vegetables and melons in 2022, with lettuce accounting for $4.12 billion of that (about 18.9%). Lettuce is the most widely consumed leafy green in the U.S.

The vast majority of U.S. lettuce is produced in Arizona and California, with Florida in a distant third place. Overall, about 85% of lettuce consumed in the U.S. is grown in the U.S.

Annual sales for the different types of lettuce as well as other leafy greens are summarized in the table below.

Type of Leafy GreenTotal U.S. Farmer Sales in 2022Total U.S. Farmer Production in 2022
Romaine lettuce (a.k.a. cos lettuce)$1.54 Billion2.55 Billion pounds
Iceberg lettuce (a.k.a. crisphead)$1.33 Billion3.32 Billion pounds
Leaf lettuce (e.g. red & green oak leaf)$1.25 Billion1.41 Billion pounds
Spinach$562 Million764 Million pounds
Collard greens$176 – $323 Million439 Million pounds
Kale$127 – $233 Million317 Million pounds
Turnip greens$35 – $65 Million98 Million pounds

In total, U.S. leafy green growers generated about $5.16 billion in sales in 2022, with just over 80% of that coming from lettuce.

Leafy greens in general are high margin products, but certain types of leafy greens such as microgreens have especially high margins. Besides leafy greens, small farms may also want to consider producing various other types of cash crops such as orchids, vanilla beans, or wasabi.

References

[1] USDA Vegetables 2022 Summary Report

[2] USDA – Lettuce production by region

Israel or Palestinians: Who Destroyed the Al-Maamdani Baptist Hospital in Gaza?

Written by Ricky Nave in News

At 6:59 PM local time, an explosion rocked the Al-Maamdani Baptist Hospital in Gaza. The hospital’s location in central Gaza City is shown below.

Map showing the location of the Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza which exploded on October 17, 2023

Palestinians were quick to accuse Israel of bombing the hospital, but Israel has denied responsibility, leading to a significant amount of contradictory information being floated online, including doctored videos from propagandists on both sides. In this article, I attempt to identify the facts.

Timeline of Events

6:59 PM, October 17 — Al Jazeera (a pro-Palestinian news source) livestreams footage of a rocket launched from within Gaza that appears to break up mid flight and then fall to the ground in two pieces, causing explosions where each piece impacts. One piece appears to hit the Baptist hospital.

Google Maps confirms the location by showing the same rooftop structure on an adjacent building as can be seen in the video.

The footage shows about 6-7 seconds between when the rocket breaks up and when the hospital is hit. Physics tells us that during that time, the rocket would have fallen around 177-240 meters, assuming it had no upward momentum at the moment it broke up. That appears consistent with the footage.

7:28 PM, October 17 — Al Jazeera posts on X to accuse Israel of bombing the Baptist Hospital in central Gaza.

(Estimated) 7:40 PM, October 17 — Israeli government influencer Hananya Naftali makes a (now deleted) post on X (formerly Twitter) claiming that the IDF bombed the hospital because it was being used as a Hamas base.

7:57 PM, October 17 — Al Jazeera posts on X, claiming that a Gaza Ministery of Health spokesperson estimated more than 200 deaths from a bombing of Al-Maamdani Hospital

8:40 PM, October 17 — Another pro-Palestinian news agency publishes a video on X accusing the IDF of bombing the hospital. This video appears to show the same explosion from a different angle and closer proximity. X user Jack Godin later synchronized the footage to show a direct comparison.

Frame from the synchronized footage from the two verified videos of the hospital explosion

9:06 PM, October 17 — The Israel War Room, a pro-Israel nonprofit, publishes a video on X purporting to show a Hamas rocket misfiring and hitting the hospital.

9:25 PM, October 17 — Hananya Naftali posts on X to state that he believes the hospital explosion was either caused by a failed rocket or an intentional act of Palestinians to garner international outrage against Israel. However, Hananya does not address the elephant in the room which is his earlier post (now deleted) claiming Israel was responsible for the hospital’s destruction.

11:00 PM, October 17 — The IDF issued a statement on X claiming that Islamic Jihad, a Palestinian terrorist organization affiliated with Hamas, launched a rocket which malfunctioned and hit the hospital.

12:58 AM, October 18 — Hananya Naftali posted on X to explain why he deleted an earlier post claiming Israel was responsible for the hospital’s destruction.

4:42 AM, October 18 — The @Israel government X account posts that IDF intelligence suggests a misfired Islamic Jihad rocket is responsible for the explosion at the hospital. However, the post also contains three confusing videos, including one video supposedly showing the explosion but timestamped an hour later than the actual explosion (7:59 PM local rather than 6:59 PM local) and a second video showing video timestamped October 18th instead of October 17th. Less than an hour later though, the post was edited to remove the videos.

10:00 AM, October 18 — IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari delivers a presentation to the BBC, claiming that Hamas knew the hospital was hit by a misfired rocket, not an IDF bomb, but intentionally claimed otherwise to garner international outrage. He also claims that IDF intelligence tracked the misfired rocket on radar and also obtained a recording of two Hamas members discussing the misfired rocket.

12:17 PM, October 18 — OSINTtechnical, an X user who works as an analyst at CNA, a nonprofit national security research organization based in Virginia, shares videos from the Russian news agency Tess, purporting to show the inside of the chapel adjacent to the hospital as well as from the parking lot where the explosion happened.

Many of the chapel windows are unbroken and no major impact crater is visible in the parking lot, further supporting the hypothesis that the explosion was caused by a malfunctioning Palestinian rocket which still carried a significant amount of fuel which was set ablaze upon impact.

From the scale of the visible damage, it’s hard to imagine more than 100 people could have been killed by the explosion even if many people were encamped outside the hospital. That contradicts the Gaza Ministry of Health claims that 500 or possibly 900 Palestinians were killed.

1:31 PM, October 18 — TASS, a Russian news agency, posts a photo on X showing the damage from the hospital explosion. Most immediately obvious is that the actual rocket or bomb hit the hospital parking lot, not the hospital itself. It’s also quite clear that the majority of the damage came not from the explosion itself but rather from the subsequent fire. The explosion itself could not have been exceptionally powerful since nearby trees are still standing and most of the windows in adjacent buildings appear to be unbroken.

1:59 PM, October 18 — Daniel Hagari, an IDF spokesperson, posts several images on X, including a diagram from IDF intelligence of Hamas & Islamic Jihad failed rocket locations and statistics, indicating around 10% of Palestinian rockets misfire.

4:27 PM, October 18 — Daniel Hagari, an IDF spokesperson, posts a video on X showing aerial footage of the hospital parking lot and surrounding buildings. The damage appears to be consistent from the photos published hours earlier by various news agencies — damage that appears to be primarily from a fuel fire rather than an IDF bomb explosion.

6:59 PM, October 18 — The Wall Street Journal publishes an article with additional photos and video of the hospital parking lot during daylight. The damage appears far too small to be caused by an IDF bomb.

Conclusion

More than likely, Islamic Jihad, a Gaza-based terrorist organization strongly affiliated with Hamas, launched a rocket which malfunctioned during flight and landed in the hospital parking lot where it exploded. The explosion and resulting fire likely killed 50-100 Palestinians who were sheltered mostly outside the hospital. Hamas then intentionally decided to blame Israel for the explosion in order to stir up international outrage at Israel and the U.S. At the same time, Israel propagandists like Hananya Naftali and the social media team behind accounts like @Israel were quick to defend Israel before they actually knew what happened. They made the assumption that the IDF must have bombed the hospital because Hamas was using it as a base, and they shared that narrative as well as unverified footage that turned out to be fake. Eventually, they retracted this information as new information became available.

There could still be inaccuracies in that conclusion, but as of now it seems the most likely explanation for the events of the past 36 hours.

Who is Hananya Naftali? A Reckless Israeli Government Influencer.

Written by Ricky Nave in Media & Content Businesses,Successful People

Hananya Naftali is a niche internet celebrity with 292,000 subscribers on YouTube and 362,000 followers on X (formerly Twitter).

Born in Israel in 1995, his celebrity status started in 2014 while he served in the IDF as part of Israel’s “Operation Protective Edge” and then began publicizing his pro-Israel point of view of what was happening on the ground.

In 2017, Naftali managed to interview Israel Prime Minister Netanyahu, and that further bolstered his media status.

“It was the first time I had met him, and months later they asked me to join his team. When you’re 22 and the prime minister offers you a job, you don’t say no. I guess they liked me. So, that’s how I got into this political world.

Hananya Naftali in an interview with the Jewish News Syndicate

However, Hananya is not completely transparent about his Israeli government affiliation. His Twitter bio describes him as an Israeli media personality interested in peace in the Middle East, with no mention of his government employment.

Hananya Naftali bio on X (formerly Twitter)

His YouTube bio also has no mention of his Israeli government affiliation. This lack of transparency led to confusion during the Baptist Hospital attack controversy in Gaza in October 2023 when Hananya’s tweets were sometimes interpreted as official Israeli government statements and other times were annotated by Community Notes which indicated he was just an influencer with no government connection.

Another complaint against Hananya is that he frequently shares fake or contradictory information. After the news broke about the October 17, 2023 hospital explosion in Gaza, Hananya posted on X (formerly Twitter) that Israel had conducted an airstrike on the hospital (screenshot below).

However, within minutes, he deleted the post claiming Israel’s responsibility. He eventually published a retraction post explaining the deletion.

I’m inclined to believe Hananya’s explanation, but the very fact that he has privileged access to certain information from the Israeli prime minister’s office means that his public statements are often (understandably) viewed as official Israeli government statements. That means Hananya’s reckless initial post claiming Israel’s responsibility for the hospital’s destruction is now being interpreted by many as evidence that Israel DID attack the hospital and is now trying to cover it up.

Hananya exacerbated this accusation by posting an old video from 2022 claiming that it was unverified footage of the Palestinian rocket that misfired and hit the hospital.

A Hananya Naftali tweet of old footage claimed to be video of the misfired rocket that destroyed the Baptist hospital in Gaza on October 17, 2023

To be clear, I don’t think Hananya is a bad person, but I do think he is reckless, biased, and imbued with a soldier’s dedication to protect a pro-Israel narrative online even in the complete absence of evidence. Those attributes are now costing the government of Israel significant credibility and risk exacerbating tensions with Jordan, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia.

References

[1] The rise of Hananya Naftali, social media star and pro-Israel influencer. Jewish News Syndicate. December 8, 2022.

[2] Hnaftali.com (Hananya’s personal website).

[3] Hananya Naftali’s YouTube channel

11 Things Every Realtor Should Know About the Fair Housing Act (FHA)

Written by Ricky Nave in Real Estate

An illustration of the protected classes of the Fair Housing Act

The federal Civil Rights Act of 1968 consisted of three parts: (1) the Indian Civil Rights Act (Titles 2-7), (2) the Fair Housing Act (Titles 8-9), and the Anti-Riot Act (Title 10).

The purpose of the Fair Housing Act (FHA) was to follow up on, clarify, and strengthen the protections that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 provided to home buyers and renters.

Below are 10 things that every real estate agent should know about the Fair Housing Act:

  1. The FHA was passed in 1968 but has been amended several times since.
  2. The FHA originally banned discrimination in real estate sales, leasing, and financing on the basis of race, color, religion, or national origin.
  3. A 1974 amendment expanded the FHA to also ban discrimination on the basis of sex.
  4. A 1988 amendment banned discrimination on the basis of disability or familial status (i.e. whether or not you have kids under the age of 18 living in the house).
  5. Altogether, the modern FHA bans discrimination on the basis of 7 protected classes: race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability, and familial status.
  6. The FHA applies to most single family homes and multifamily properties. However, the FHA does NOT apply to (1) owner-occupied buildings with 4 or fewer units, (2) single-family homes rented without a broker, so long as the owner does not own more than 3 houses, or (3) commercial office, retail, or industrial property.
  7. The FHA’s ban on discrimination on the basis of familial status does NOT apply to senior housing properties that are part of 55+ or 62+ communities.
  8. Specific practices banned by the FHA include (1) refusing to rent to someone because they are a member of a protected group, (2) quoting different terms or prices based on prospects’ protected characteristics, (3) discriminatory advertising, (4) steering buyers or renters to different particular areas based on their protected characteristics, (5) blockbusting (i.e. telling homeowners that their neighborhood is undergoing a change of demographics as measured by protected characteristics, in order to influence the homeowner’s desire to sell or rent at lower-than-market-value), (6) redlining (i.e. refusing to lend to a creditworthy applicant to buy a home in a particular neighborhood, or lending to them at higher interest rates or offering insurance at higher rates), and (7) making false statements about the availability of a property.
  9. The Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity within the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is responsible for administering and enforcing the FHA.
  10. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) can initiate a lawsuit in a U.S. District Court if (1) a person believes they have been discriminated against in violation of the FHA and requests the DOJ to bring suit, (2) a real estate professional repeatedly violates the FHA, or (3) a real estate professional breaches a conciliation agreement created during an earlier dispute over an alleged FHA violation.
  11. If a discrimination claim is made against a real estate agent or broker, HUD assumes that the agent or broker is guilty unless proven innocent. The agent or broker has 10 days to answer a HUD claim with proof that they did not discriminate. If the agent or broker cannot prove their innocence, they can be hit with injunctions, restraining orders, and orders to pay damages, court costs, and attorney fees.

The Florida Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (EXPLAINED)

Written by Ricky Nave in Law,Real Estate

A landlord and tenant arguing

The Florida Residential Landlord and Tenant Act defines the rights and duties of tenants and landlords under state law, even where no written lease agreement exists. In this article, I’ll explain the key rules and concepts from the Act.

Landlord’s Right to Access Dwelling Unit

A landlord has the right to enter a rented dwelling unit. However, depending on WHY they are entering, the landlord may be required to enter only during specific hours or after providing certain amounts of notice.

Reason for EntryRequirements for EntryAllowed Hours of Entry
Repairs24 hours notice*7:30am to 8:00pm
Make necessary or agreed upon alterations, improvements, or decorations1) Consent of tenant,
2) Tenant unreasonably withholds consent, or
3) Tenant is absent (w/o notifying landlord) for more than 1/2 the rental payment period (e.g. 15 days if rent is paid monthly)
Show the unit to prospective or actual purchasers, mortgagees, or tenants1) Consent of tenant,
2) Tenant unreasonably withholds consent, or
3) Tenant is absent (w/o notifying landlord) for more than 1/2 the rental payment period (e.g. 15 days if rent is paid monthly)
Show the unit to prospective or actual workers or contractors1) Consent of tenant,
2) Tenant unreasonably withholds consent,
3) Tenant is absent (w/o notifying landlord) for more than 1/2 the rental payment period (e.g. 15 days if rent is paid monthly), or
4) Emergency
Landlord inspection1) Consent of tenant,
2) Tenant unreasonably withholds consent,
3) Tenant is absent (w/o notifying landlord) for more than 1/2 the rental payment period (e.g. 15 days if rent is paid monthly), or
4) Emergency
Protection or preservation of the premisesReasonable noticeAny time
*Prior to 2022, only 12 hours of notice was required.

Additionally, a landlord is not allowed to abuse their right of access or to harass the tenant.

Security Deposits

If a landlord collects a security deposit, then the landlord must do one of four things:

  1. Hold the money in a separate non-interest-bearing account in a Florida bank (not commingling any such money with any other funds of the landlord or used as any sort of collateral for the landlord).
  2. Hold the money in a separate interest-bearing account in a Florida bank and pay the tenant either (a) at least 75% of the annualized average interest payable on such account, or (b) 5% simple interest per year on the amount held. The landlord may freely elect either option.
  3. Post a surety bond of the amount of the security deposit or $50,000 (whichever is less) with the clerk of the circuit court in the county of the dwelling unit and pay the tenant 5% annual simple interest on the amount.
  4. If the landlord rents dwelling units in 5 or more counties, the landlord may choose to post a bond for the amount of the security deposits or $250,000 (whichever is less) with the Secretary of State instead of the clerks of each county’s circuit court. Tenants must still receive 5% annual simple interest on the amount.

After a lease terminates and the rental unit is vacated, the landlord has two options:

  1. Return the security deposit (with interest) within 15 days, or
  2. Provide the tenant with written notice delivered by certified mail within 30 days, informing the tenant of landlord’s intention to impose a claim on the deposit and the reason for imposing the claim.

If the landlord fails to provide notice of a claim within 30 days, the landlord forfeits the right to impose a claim upon the deposit BUT may still file an action for damages after the deposit is returned.

If the landlord submits notice of a claim and does not receive any objection from the tenant for 15 days after the tenant’s receipt of the notice, then the landlord may deduct the amount of the claim from the deposit and must then remit the balance of the deposit within 30 days after the landlord’s first notice of claim.

If the landlord provides the tenant with notice of a claim, then the tenant has 15 days after receipt of the notice to object to the claim. If the tenant objects, the landlord should consult a lawyer to either negotiate with the tenant or initiate a lawsuit.

Early Termination of Rental Agreement by Tenant

A tenant is entitled to terminate a rental agreement if the landlord does not meet his or her obligations, such as repairing appliances or fixing a leaky roof. The tenant must follow a 3-step procedure for termination:

  1. Tenant must notify landlord that landlord has not met his or her obligations and that tenant will vacate the property in 7 days if the issues are not addressed.
  2. Landlord has 7 days to correct the issues.
  3. If the landlord does not correct the issues, then the tenant may terminate the lease and move out. Alternatively, the tenant may get a court order for a reduction in rent if they want to remain despite the landlord’s noncompliance.

Early Termination of Rental Agreement by Landlord

If a tenant does not pay rent on time, the landlord can demand the rent from the tenant in writing and notify the tenant that if the rent is not paid, they will have to leave. The tenant has three days to pay overdue rent after receipt of such notice. If the rent is not paid after the three days are up, the lease is terminated and the tenant must vacate the property. If a landlord terminates a lease for nonpayment but the tenant does not leave, then the landlord may initiate an eviction process. There are 7 steps to an eviction process:

  1. The landlord must serve proper notice of rental agreement termination to the tenant. The tenant has 3 days to leave for nonpayment of rent or 7 days to leave for other breaches of leasing contract (such as acquiring pets in a “no pets” apartment).
  2. If the tenant ignores the notice and does not leave, the landlord must file a complaint for eviction with the county court and have the tenant properly served with a summons and complaint.
  3. The tenant has 7 days to answer the complaint if they want to defend their right to continued possession. If that happens, the case will go to court.
  4. If a tenant chooses to defend their right to possession in court despite having no grounds for doing so, a landlord should exercise their right to file a motion for final judgment and ask that it be fast-tracked on the court’s calendar.
  5. If the tenant does not answer the complaint, the landlord must obtain a court order to evict the tenant.
  6. After the landlord obtains a court order or wins in court, the clerk of court will issue a writ of possession which will be signed by the sheriff and placed on the rental property or handed to the tenant. The tenant has 24 hours to vacate after this happens.
  7. As soon as the sheriff signs the writ of possession, the landlord may remove the tenant’s personal property from the rental with the sheriff present.

Summary of Landlord Rights

  • The landlord has the right to access the rental property when necessary, provided they follow the guidelines discussed in the first section of this article. In particular, the landlord must usually provide at least 24 hours notice and only enter during reasonable hours.
  • The landlord has the right to initiate an eviction process if the tenant fails to pay rent on time or otherwise breaches the rental agreement.

Summary of Landlord Duties

  • Leases for one year or more must be in writing in order to be legally enforceable.
  • When a landlord requires a security deposit and advance rent, they must keep the deposit in an escrow account during the tenancy. If the account bears interest, the tenant is entitled to 75% of the interest or a flat 5% of the deposit when and if it is returned to the tenant. Commingling tenant deposits with other funds is prohibited.
  • The landlord must ensure the rental property is safe and meets housing code requirements. Reasonable repairs must also be conducted when necessary.
  • The landlord must not abuse their right to access the dwelling.
  • The landlord must notify the tenant before entry unless the landlord is entering for an emergency for protection or preservation of the premises.

Summary of Tenant Rights

  • If a landlord collects a security deposit and places the money into an interest-bearing account, the tenant has a right to 75% of the interest generated or 5% simple annual interest on the amount, whichever the landlord elects.

Summary of Tenant Duties

  • The tenant must pay rent on time.
  • If the rental property is part of an HOA or condo association community, then the tenant must abide by the community’s rules.
  • The tenant must not damage the property.

What rights do tenants have without a lease in Florida?

The Florida Residential Landlord and Tenant Act defines the rights that tenants have in the absence of a written lease. Those rights include the right to be notified before the landlord enters the property for non-emergencies, the right to require the landlord maintain the property in a safe condition that complies with building codes, and the right to terminate a lease early if the landlord fails to provide the home in a safe condition even after the tenant provides a 7 day notice of intent to vacate due to landlord’s failure.

Can a tenant change locks in Florida?

Under Florida law, a tenant has the right to change their locks unless their lease agreement specifically prohibits doing so. However, landlords also have a right of access, so a tenant who changes the locks must either provide the landlord with the new key or make themself available to let the landlord in when needed.

References

[1] Florida Statutes Chapter 83 – Landlord and Tenant Law

[2] Florida Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (F.S. chapter 83 part 2)