‘Miya’s Law’ introduced in Florida Senate
Apartment managers would be required to conduct national background checks on their employees under legislation filed Friday named in honor of a college student from South Florida who police say was killed by a maintenance worker who had a key to her home.
State Sen. Linda Stewart introduced a bill titled “Miya’s Law” in response to calls for change from Miya Marcano’s family and students living in off-campus housing in her district. Marcano, 19, was found dead in a wooded area in early October.
“Miya’s death is an awful tragedy — one that has put a spotlight on problems with apartment safety and security,” said Stewart, D-Orlando.
The background check requirement will apply to apartments with five or more units. The legislation (SB 898) also requires apartments implement procedures for issuing and tracking master keys. It increases the notification period for entering a tenant’s apartment for non-emergency maintenance from 12 hours to 24 hours.
Marcano’s parents — Yma Suling Scarbriel and Marlon Marcano — praised the legislation in a statement.
“We firmly believe that passing Miya’s Law will save lives,” they said. “It is our hope that lawmakers on both sides unanimously vote to pass Miya’s Law. Our daughter’s law can potentially save your daughter or loved one’s life, so when you go to vote, please think of Miya.”
Marcano, who grew up in Pembroke Pines and was a student at Valencia College, was reported missing on Sept. 24 by her family after she missed a flight home to
South Florida.
Eight days later, police discovered her body in a wooded area near an Orlando apartment complex.
Thousands of mourners attended her funeral at a Pentecostal church in Cooper City. Marcano’s father and her stepmother Giselle Blanche Marcano are well-known Caribbean artists and entertainers. She and her family participated in the Miami Carnival for decades.
State Rep. Robin Bartleman, D-Weston, is planning to sponsor Miya’s Law in the Florida House. The Florida Apartment Association, an industry group, has signaled it will support the legislation.
. Police suspect 27-yearold Armando Caballero, a maintenance worker at Arden Villas where Marcano lived, killed her and dumped her body. Caballero was found dead by suicide at a Seminole County apartment complex just days before Marcano’s body was discovered.
Marcano’s family filed a wrongful-death lawsuit this past month, accusing Arden Villas and its owner Preiss Company of negligence in employing Caballero, who officials said made unwanted advances toward Marcano before her death. Marcano worked for Arden Villas in addition to living there.
A Preiss Company spokesperson did not return a message seeking comment this week. In a previous statement, the company said it conducted a background check on Caballero and found no records of burglary or sexual assault.
Lawmakers are expected to take up the issue during their next legislative session that starts on Jan. 11.