Eviction Laws in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
Palm Beach Gardens is north Palm Beach County’s “Signature City” — roughly 60,000 residents, a fabric of master-planned golf and country-club communities, and the global capital of professional golf branding, anchored by PGA National Resort and the PGA Tour’s annual Cognizant Classic. The rental market is small and premium: only about 27% of households rent — the scarcest rental inventory of any market in this guide — and what exists splits between newer apartment communities along the PGA Boulevard and Alton corridors, condo and townhome rentals inside gated communities like Evergrene and BallenIsles, and a high-value single-family tier where PGA National-area homes carry median rents around $4,000. Demand comes from relocating executives and medical professionals around the Gardens Medical corridor, families targeting top-rated schools, and the winter golf season, which turns furnished rentals into a market of their own from November through April.
Florida’s eviction framework under F.S. Chapter 83 applies uniformly across Palm Beach Gardens and Palm Beach 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 Palm Beach County Court — and the North County Courthouse sits right on PGA Boulevard in the Gardens. 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 Palm Beach County Sheriff enforces removal. Plan for a realistic 3 to 6 week timeline. Florida has no rent control and no security deposit cap, though strict 15/30-day deposit return rules apply.
Palm Beach Gardens & Palm Beach County — Local Rules That Affect Landlords
No rent control. Florida state law preempts local rent regulation and Palm Beach Gardens has none.
The Golf-Season Calendar. The Gardens runs on two leasing clocks: the annual market, and the November-to-April season when furnished units near PGA National and the club communities command winter premiums. Decide which market each unit plays in before listing — a seasonal strategy means furnishing costs, turnover labor, association lease-frequency limits, and the transient-rental tax obligations covered in the FAQ below, while an annual lease trades peak-season rates for stability and tax simplicity.
The Premium Single-Family Tier. A $4,000-a-month golf-community home is a different management product than an apartment: the lease should specify who maintains the pool, landscaping, and pest service (premium tenants usually expect these included and priced in), require tenant liability insurance, and preserve a regular, properly-noticed inspection schedule — deferred care on a high-value asset compounds fast, and so does a deposit dispute over one.
The Club and Association Layer. Most Gardens rentals sit behind an association, and several communities add club membership questions — whether tenants receive amenity access, what transfer fees apply, and how often units may lease. Get each association’s and club’s current tenant policy in writing before you buy or list, and build approval timelines into your vacancy math.
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 raised regularly in Palm Beach County eviction proceedings, and on first-last-security move-ins at Gardens rents, the money in trust is substantial.
Palm Beach County Court — Where Palm Beach Gardens Landlords File
Palm Beach Gardens landlords have a branch courthouse in their own city: the North County Courthouse at 3188 PGA Boulevard accepts eviction filings, as does the Main Courthouse at 205 N. Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach, FL 33401 (County Civil, Room 3.2300), any other Clerk branch, or the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal at myflcourtaccess.com. The filing fee is approximately $185 plus $10 per defendant for summons issuance. Palm Beach County has its own filing quirks: bring copies of the 3-Day Notice and lease for each defendant, plus stamped, addressed legal-size envelopes for each defendant and yourself, and double-check the eviction address, apartment number, and street spelling on the Complaint so the Palm Beach County Sheriff can serve the 5-day summons without delay (sheriff’s civil line: (561) 355-2763). 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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