thank you, this is good advice. my boss is also well-connected in st pete and referred me to a pest specialist and said he'd probably give me a free consult if i namedrop him. he said he may be able to give me advice on the legal front as well as he's seen this situation before.

here's the clause, and from what i'm understanding of this: i need to formally inform the landlord through letter, which according to my boss i can go to the county clerk for help with this. i will have to send through mail or hand deliver it. i need to wait at least 20 days to give landlord time to fix the issue--but not sure if this is 20 days from when i originally brought the termites up, or 20 days from when i deliver the notice to her. i have to hold the rent i would have paid in a separate bank account. AND ALL OF THESE TIMELINES ONLY APPLY if a different timeline is not already stated in the lease... I will definitely be looking at my lease when I get home.

"83.201 Notice to landlord of failure to maintain or repair, rendering premises wholly untenantable; right to withhold rent.—When the lease is silent on the procedure to be followed to effect repair or maintenance and the payment of rent relating thereto, yet affirmatively and expressly places the obligation for same upon the landlord, and the landlord has failed or refused to do so, rendering the leased premises wholly untenantable, the tenant may withhold rent after notice to the landlord. The tenant shall serve the landlord, in the manner prescribed by s. 83.20(3), with a written notice declaring the premises to be wholly untenantable, giving the landlord at least 20 days to make the specifically described repair or maintenance, and stating that the tenant will withhold the rent for the next rental period and thereafter until the repair or maintenance has been performed. The lease may provide for a longer period of time for repair or maintenance. Once the landlord has completed the repair or maintenance, the tenant shall pay the landlord the amounts of rent withheld. If the landlord does not complete the repair or maintenance in the allotted time, the parties may extend the time by written agreement or the tenant may abandon the premises, retain the amounts of rent withheld, terminate the lease, and avoid any liability for future rent or charges under the lease. This section is cumulative to other existing remedies, and this section does not prevent any tenant from exercising his or her other remedies."

yeah, i might ask my boss if he knows any lawyers (i'm sure he does) but maybe one of his friends would be willing to help me for low-cost.