Eviction Laws in Hollywood, Florida
Hollywood is Broward County’s third-largest city, with a population of around 153,000 wedged between Fort Lauderdale to the north and the Miami-Dade line to the south. It is one of the most varied rental markets in South Florida: the oceanfront Hollywood Beach Broadwalk and its surrounding condo towers draw tourists, snowbirds, and vacation-rental investors; Young Circle and the downtown arts district have attracted a wave of new multifamily development and young professionals priced out of Miami and Fort Lauderdale; and the residential neighborhoods west of I-95 — Hollywood Hills, Emerald Hills, West Hollywood — remain family-oriented single-family territory. Memorial Regional Hospital, the flagship of the Memorial Healthcare System, is the city’s anchor employer, with the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino complex and Port Everglades nearby adding tens of thousands of hospitality and logistics jobs. The result is a tenant pool that runs from year-round healthcare workers and families to seasonal residents who arrive every winter.
Florida’s eviction framework under F.S. Chapter 83 applies uniformly across Hollywood and Broward County. For nonpayment of rent, landlords must serve a written 3-Day Notice to Pay Rent or Vacate — excluding weekends and legal holidays — before filing. For curable lease violations, a 7-Day Notice to Cure applies; for serious or incurable violations, a 7-Day Unconditional Quit Notice. Once the notice period expires without compliance, the landlord files a Complaint for Eviction with Broward County Court in Fort Lauderdale. The tenant has 5 business days to respond. After a favorable judgment, a Writ of Possession is issued and the tenant has just 24 hours to vacate before the Broward County Sheriff enforces removal. Broward County Court carries one of the highest eviction caseloads in Florida — budget a realistic 3 to 7 week timeline. Florida has no rent control and no security deposit cap, though strict 15/30-day deposit return rules apply.
Hollywood & Broward County — Local Rules That Affect Landlords
No rent control. Florida state law preempts local rent regulation and Hollywood has none.
Vacation Rental Registration. Hollywood operates a vacation rental registration program — short-term rentals must be registered with the city and meet inspection, safety, and tax-collection requirements, with the heaviest scrutiny on the beach and Broadwalk corridors. Operating an unregistered vacation rental invites code enforcement fines that can complicate any later removal action. Verify both city registration and condo association rules before listing a unit short-term.
Older Building Stock and Milestone Inspections. Much of Hollywood’s condo inventory — especially east of the Intracoastal — dates to the 1960s and 70s, putting it squarely inside Florida’s post-Surfside milestone inspection and structural reserve requirements for buildings three stories and up. Special assessments tied to inspections and reserve funding have hit older Hollywood buildings hard. Budget for assessments before setting rent, document unit condition carefully, and stay ahead of repair requests — deferred maintenance in an aging building is the raw material of tenant defenses.
Snowbird and Seasonal Demand. Hollywood’s beach market runs on a winter season. Seasonal leases should carry firm end dates and clear holdover language; for month-to-month arrangements, Florida requires 15 days’ written notice to terminate (F.S. § 83.57). Never let a seasonal arrangement drift into an undocumented month-to-month tenancy at a below-market rate.
Security Deposit Rules. Florida requires written notice to tenants within 30 days of receiving a deposit detailing where it is held and whether it is interest-bearing. Non-compliance forfeits deposit claim rights — a defense tenants and legal aid organizations raise regularly in Broward County eviction proceedings.
Broward County Court — Where Hollywood Landlords File
Hollywood landlords file eviction actions at Broward County Court, County Civil Division, located at 201 SE 6th St, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301, phone (954) 831-6565, open Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. There is no separate eviction venue in Hollywood — all Broward residential eviction filings run through the central courthouse in Fort Lauderdale. File a Complaint for Eviction and pay the filing fee of approximately $185 plus $10 per defendant for summons issuance. Electronic filing is available through the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal at myflcourtaccess.com. The clerk issues a 5-business-day summons served by the Broward County Sheriff or a certified process server. If the tenant does not respond within 5 business days, file a Motion for Default. If the tenant responds and deposits rent into the court registry, a hearing is set. After a favorable judgment, a Writ of Possession is issued and the tenant has 24 hours to vacate before the sheriff executes removal. Self-help eviction — changing locks, removing belongings, or shutting off utilities without a court order — is illegal under F.S. § 83.67 and exposes landlords to damages of up to 3 months’ rent plus attorney fees.
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