By NAN Staffer
News Americas, FORT LAUDERDALE, FL, Mon. June 27, 2022: Miya’s Law, named after the Caribbean American teen who was murdered in her Orlando apartment complex nine months ago, is now a reality in Florida.
Marcano, who was born to a Trinidadian father and a USVI mother, was murdered last fall at the Arden Villas, the apartment complex where she lived and worked, by maintenance worker Armando Caballero, 27-year-old.
Her family and a host of community representative and supporters came together to draft legislation to improve tenant safety in the state of Florida.
After several months of waiting, the Miya Marcano Foundation received noticed that Miya’s Law became official on Monday, June 27, 2022 at 1p.m. EST.
Marcano’s family father, Marlon Marcano; mother, Yma Scarbriel, and brother, Marlon Marcano Jr., travelled to Tallahassee, the state capital to participate in a private signing ceremony with Governor Ron DeSantis.
Scarbriel, Marcano’s mother noted: “Miya was with us today. Her light continues to guide us, and we know that she would’ve never want anyone to go through what she went through.”
She also thanked all of the community members, the state representatives including Representatives Bartlemen and Senator Stewart for their hard work and dedication to Miya’s Law and the Foundation’s internal team, Jodi Covington, Attorney Marlon Hill and Attorney Daryl K Washington, for guiding our family through the legislative process.
“Your kindness has brought peace in the mist of our storm,” Scarbriel added.
“From the day I laid eyes on her, I knew I was blessed with the purest form of love,” said s Marlon Marcano, Miya’s father. “With the passing of Miya’s Law, I am extremely grateful to everyone involved and I want the community to know that we will do everything we can to ensure what happened to our Miya doesn’t happen to anyone else. Thank you Governor DeSantis for signing Miya’s Law into Florida Law. It brings great joy not only to my family but to the millions of renters in the state of Florida.”
“Now that Miya’s Law has been signed into law, the work truly starts. We hope that Miya’s Law helps to prevent what happened to Miya from happening to anyone else,” said Jodi D. Covington, Board Director of the Miya Marcano Foundation.
“We look forward to working with apartment complexes and multi-dwelling unit owners and property managers to ensure that they understand Miya’s Law,” she added. “The Foundation would like to work with them to ensure they keep their properties as safe as possible for residents. This is not only a win for Miya’s family but the millions of renters in the state of Florida. We are hopeful that more states will follow and pass Miya’s Law.”
ABOUT THE CASE
Marcano missed a Sept. 24th flight from Orlando to visit her family in South Florida and her family asked the Sheriff’s Office to check on her at the Arden Villas apartments near UCF, where she lived and worked.
During that welfare check, the deputy found Marcano’s bedroom door was blocked from opening by a dresser, which meant a roommate had to enter Marcano’s room from a back window, the statement said, adding that a responding deputy “noticed the window had been tampered with.”
Her body was bound with black duct tape across her mouth and tape also tying her hands and feet together on October 2nd. She was found wearing jeans and a bra, as well as a robe and her purse was found nearby containing the shirt she was last seen wearing. Her cause of death has not yet been determined.
Orlando Police have said Caballero, a maintenance employee at the Arden Villas complex where Marcano worked and lived, was waiting for her inside her apartment Sept. 24, before he killed her and dumped her body at another Orlando area apartment complex.
ABOUT MARCANO
Born April 26, 2002, in Pembroke Pines to parents Yma Scarbriel and father Marlon Marcano, Miya grew up in both South Florida and the British Virgin Islands. Marlon Marcano, known professionally as DJ Eternal Vibes, is a Trinidad-born DJ in South Florida. She graduated from Flanagan Senior High in 2020 and headed to the University of Central Florida, according to her cousin Cailie Sue.
After a few semesters, she transferred to Valencia college, where she was studying sports medicine. “From early on Miya became a Jane of all trades,” Sue said. “After taking an interest in modeling, pageantry, cheerleading, dancing, horseback riding and so much more. Miya excelled in everything she set her mind to do.”
