BOCA RATON (CBSMiami) – A 23-year old man who has been squatting in a $2.5 million mansion in a wealthy Boca neighborhood for nearly two months has been told to leave.
Bank of America, which owns the five bedroom home Andre Barbosa has been squatting in since the beginning of December, served him an eviction notice Wednesday, according to the Sun-Sentinel.
Sunrise lawyer Gary Singer told the paper it’s the start of a process that could take three to six weeks, depending on whether Barbosa requests a hearing.
Barbosa, a Brazilian national also known as “Loki Boy,” made headlines around worldwide when he filed an adverse possession for the 7,200-square foot home.
The obscure law of adverse possession enables someone to move into a house and claim the title.
The catch? They must stay there for seven years, paying all liens and property taxes.
Barbosa is not alone in trying to get a great deal for pennies.
Three more filings for “adverse possession” were submitted to the office of Broward County Property Appraiser Lori Parrish on Tuesday, according to the paper.
Parrish has asked state legislators to get rid of the law which she said is antiquated.
“It’s not a 21st century law — they ought to abolish it,” Parrish told the paper, pointing out that it was passed in 1876, when Florida was almost entirely agricultural land. Parrish said the law aimed to prevent misuse of abandoned land.
State Rep. Irving Slosberg, D-Boca Raton, said he agrees.
“I think Lori Parrish has a great idea,” he said.
Singer doesn’t think the law should be overturned because it serves a purpose. It promotes the upkeep of property and it clarifies situations as mundane as a neighbor’s fence that’s 2 feet over the property line.
The Sun-Sentinel contributed to this report.
