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STUART KORFHAGE | St. Augustine Record | “While Florida continues to put up alarming foreclosure numbers, Circuit Court Judge Howard Maltz of St. Johns County is starting to see stats he likes. According to data compiled by the state, Maltz and other county staff — including some senior judges — have managed to reduce theRead more

WCTV | “Bob Wallerius walks with a noticeable limp. He’s had 40 surgeries after a bad traffic accident. On the day he spoke to Eyewitness News, a foreclosure sale was scheduled for his northwest Tallahassee home. “Had to go to bed one more night not be able to sleep and wake up trying to haveRead more

Pam Bondi | The Tampa Tribune | Opinion Page | “The U.S. House’s vote Tuesday night was a move in the right direction to stop the short-sighted implementation of the Biggert-Waters Act, which has dire consequences for Floridians, who would bear the brunt of the financial burden, and our housing market. Traveling throughout Florida asRead more

Christina Sturgis | Tampa Bay Times Blog | “Florida is first in an undesirable competition – the number of foreclosures, which can take terrible toll on Tampa families and communities. One of every 409 Florida homes is in foreclosure, as of the end of 2013. According to the report by RealtyTrac, the other top states forRead more

Tom Priester | Examiner.com | “RealtyTrac says they are, but are they really? Late last week RealtyTrac released their latest Residential & Foreclosure Sales Report. That report showed a significant pull back by institutional investors in the nationwide market. Figures they compiled as of February 1st show that month over month purchases by these groupsRead more

News Release: Florida Senate | WCTV | “Today SB 542 by Senator Jeff Brandes (R-St. Petersburg) passed the Senate Committee on Appropriations with strong unanimous support. The bill lays the framework for a private flood insurance marketplace in Florida in response to rate increases from the National Flood Insurance Program. “Florida families are facing foreclosureRead more

Jane Meinhardt | Tampa Bay Business Journal | “The Tony Cheval Golf & Country Club in Lutz is seeking Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization. The popular 18-hole golf course golf course property was in foreclosure proceedings when the bankruptcy petition was filed Feb. 6, court records show. The property includes the golf course, practice facility, clubhouse,Read more

Drew Harwell | Tampa Bay Times | “Tampa Bay saw 20 percent fewer foreclosure filings last month than in January 2013, a sign that lingering distress from the housing crash continues to slowly fade from view, RealtyTrac data released today show. But the good news ends there. Tampa Bay posted the seventh-highest foreclosure rate inRead more

Alexander E.M. Hess, Michael B. Sauter and Thomas C. Frohlich | 24/7 Wall St. | USA Today “Last December, 16.2% of all home sales involved distressed properties, according to a recent report. These homes were sold at an average discount of nearly 40% when compared to conventional, non-distressed homes. Housing data site RealtyTrac recently releasedRead more

Rich Shopes | Tampa Bay Times | “The county’s community development office on Tuesday rolled out a new interest-free loan program aimed at helping low-income seniors burdened by big tax bills. The program, which is intended to curb foreclosures from delinquent taxes, is funded by a $300,000 state housing grant. It’s aimed at low-income folksRead more