My question involves a security deposit in the State of: Florida
I am hoping someone with knowledge of Florida landlord-tenant law can tell me how to proceed against a property management company to recover a holding deposit I paid upon submitting a rental application for a property after viewing it. The holding fee consisted of 1 month's rent ($1050), an administrative fee ($250) and application fee ($48), which total $1348 and which I paid by cashier's check. A couple days later, the PM company supplied me with a long, detailed lease which was particularly pro-landlord and with some provisions that may not be allowed by law. For that and other reasons, I have decided not to sign the lease or rent the property and want to determine my rights to recover some or all of the deposit. The rental application does state several times that the full amount of the deposit becomes non-refundable once the tenant is approved, which I was.
My layperson's understanding of the reason for holding deposits is to compensate the landlord for any income lost in holding the property off the market between the time the tenant tenders the deposit and the time a lease is signed. If that is the case, does it strengthen my position that the property management company still has the property listed on their website in exactly the same form as when I saw it, and still has a for rent sign in the yard? Clearly, they have not held the property off the market, and cannot demonstrate any loss of potential rent or renters as a result.
Also, there has to be something that says that you can't require someone to pay a non-refundable deposit before providing them with a lease, then provide them with an unreasonable lease and essentially say "either sign your life away, or forfeit all this money."
What are my rights here? Do I have to just eat that entire deposit in order to get out of renting this place? I understand I will likely have to forfeit the fees I paid, but the holding deposit equal to a month's rent seems unjustified under the circumstances. Please help. Thanks.

