NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. — A Pasco County couple said their tenants have been taking advantage of the eviction moratorium that was extended for another month on Tuesday by Governor Ron DeSantis.

What You Need To Know


  • Owner filed to evict tenants in February, won the case

  • Judge unable to complete eviction order due to 1st moratorium

  • Owners say they have texts from tenants indicating they won't pay back rent

  • Current moratorium extension expires Aug. 1

"After six months of not getting rent out of my rental and he gives me the bad news again," said landlord George Khoury, 60. "One month after another. This is crazy. This is not right. This is not fair to me." 

Khoury said he moved to evict the tenants that rent his New Port Richey home back in February. However, the first eviction moratorium in response to the pandemic came down before the process was complete.

"We won the case but [the judge] could not sign the order because of the eviction (moratorium). We can't evict nobody. So, we're stuck with them," he said. "In the meanwhile, I'm not getting a dime out of it. They're living there for free. Living high on the hog."

Holly Khoury, 42, said the tenants have been working the whole time and told the landlords that they're not going to pay back the delayed rent payments.

"We have text messages that say 'we don't have anything,'" she said. "'You can't really take anything because we don't have it.'" ​

Khoury said he's owed nearly $6,000 in back rent and that uncollected money has been taking a toll.

"Financially it's ruining me. I can't make ends meet. This is crazy," he said. "When is this going to end? How long is it going take? How many more months?" ​

Gov. DeSantis' latest eviction moratorium is set to expire on August 1.