Florida RealEstateRama

Tech Helpline, a service owned by the Florida Realtors® and the real estate industry’s number one tech support service for a wide range of software and hardware, hit another growth spurt this month. More than 15,000 real estate professionals in Maine and Pennsylvania now have access to Tech Helpline for the first time, which assists real estate agents and brokers with their smartphones, tablets, desktops, laptops, email problems, virus issues and more

The Department of Financial Services, Division of Insurance Fraud (DIF) today announced the recent arrest of two former funeral home owners from the Tampa area, Julio Gonzalez-Roel and Lucia Gonzalez-Roel. This year-long investigation which included the combined efforts of DFS’s Division of Agents and Agency Services and the Division of Funeral, Cemetery and Consumer Services revealed the couple allegedly concocted a scheme by which they sold pre-need funeral contracts to consumers and then stole the money they collected on those contracts rather than placing the funds into a pre-need trust account as Florida law mandates

Lake County’s Water Safety Advisory Committee, government agencies and private partners are hosting Water Safety Month in May. The events will offer free swimming and CPR demonstrations, life vest education, mock drowning exercises, swimming lesson registration, open swimming, exhibits and more

It has been a long journey for Gulf War veteran Mario Figueroa. After three years battling for his benefits with the VA alongside CLSMF Veterans Advocacy Project attorney Chirsite Bhageloe

Lake County Solid Waste is encouraging Lake County residents to dispose of toxic materials in a safe and environmentally sensitive way at an upcoming Household Hazardous Waste Collection event. The county’s Household Hazardous Waste Mobile Unit will be on site from 9 a.m. – noon on Thursday, April 28 at the Eustis Square Shopping Center parking lot located at 218 Ardice Ave., Eustis

U.S. Representative Patrick E. Murphy (FL-18) made the following statement on yesterday's report by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers finding "no significant impact" in transferring authority of the Ten Mile Creek water preserve area from the federal government to the state. Since his first days in office,Murphy has been working with state and federal officials to allow for this transfer so that the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) can turn it into a functional water storage and treatment facility. With this report, the deauthorization moves one step closer to completion, as the SFWMD must now approve the transfer agreement before June 15, 2016.

U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL-27), Chairman of the Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa, made the following statement after the Venezuelan Supreme Court, controlled by Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, declared that the Amnesty Law was unconstitutional. Statement by Ros-Lehtinen

President Barack Obama has signed into law the Senate companion of Congressman Alan Grayson’s (D-FL09) “Servicemember Foreclosure protections Extension Act of 2015,” which protects veterans from having their homes foreclosed on for one year after their return from active duty. This protection had elapsed at the end of 2015. The “Foreclosure Relief and Extension for Servicemembers Act of 2015” (S. 2393) extends the protection for two years.

In support of goals and objectives in the County's "A Way Home" Plan to End Homelessness, the Broward County Homeless Initiative Partnership (HIP) has been awarded a grant of more than $6.8 million by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) through the 2015 HUD Homeless Continuum of Care (CoC) Program Competition. The award funds 17 renewal projects and a new Continuum of Care (CoC) planning grant. This brings the County's 2015 HUD CoC grant awards total to $8.5 million which is distributed through the CoC and directly managed by the County and community providers

The Board of Directors of the District of Columbia Housing Finance Agency (DCHFA) announces the appointment of Todd A. Lee to the position of Acting Executive Director. Lee joins the Agency with more than 20 years of extensive experience in the field of multifamily and commercial real estate finance, including a diverse background in multiple areas of investment and lending across a range of property types.

Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater today announced the arrest of Maira Chirinos, owner of Pompano Beach construction company Tocoa Builders, Inc. Chirinos is alleged to have misrepresented information regarding Tocoa Builder’s operations, employees and payroll when applying for a workers’ compensation policy. By doing so, Chirinos avoided at least $1.8 million in workers’ compensation premium payments. Workers’ compensation policies protect employees in the event of an on-the-job injury and if proper policies are not in place, injured employees could be faced with lost wages and costly medical expenses to cover

Attorney General Pam Bondi's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit today announced more than $170,000 in fraudulent taxpayer dollars reclaimed from multiple bank accounts owned by Christina Benson, owner of Tranquility Health Care Solutions in Orlando. Benson used Tranquility to recruit homeless men and women to pose as patients and billed Medicaid for services not provided and not warranted. Additionally, Benson allegedly used untrained personnel, some with criminal arrest records, in her scheme.

Congressman Ander Crenshaw, Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government and Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, joined in today’s (3/30) ribbon cutting for the new US Customs and Border Protection and US Coast Guard building in Jacksonville. In honor of the building’s dedication, he placed a formal statement in the official Congressional Record, which reads in full

Lake County’s recent heavy rainfall could lead to localized drainage issues. That’s why the Lake County Stormwater Section and the Adopt-a-Lake Program are reminding residents to keep their storm drains clean to help prevent flooding

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) are honoring 149 businesses and organizations in 35 states for their commitment to saving energy and protecting the environment through superior energy efficiency achievements

Congressman Gus Bilirakis (FL-12) and Congressman David Jolly (FL-13) have introduced legislation to protect Florida homeowners from impending increases in flood insurance rates. The Flood Insurance Rate Increase Suspension Act (H.R. 4866), which was filed on March 24 by the bay area Republicans, would delay any increase in flood insurance premium rates for certain properties for 12 months.

Representatives Alcee L. Hastings (D-FL) and Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) called on congressional appropriators to prioritize family homelessness and services for homeless individuals in Fiscal Year 2017. In submitting a formal letter to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies, Hastings and Johnson urged the committee to make it easier for local communities to prioritize their own needs in responding to homeless populations, and expand access to effective services for homeless individuals (Please find attached a copy of the letter.)

This week, U.S. Representative Patrick E. Murphy (FL-18), a member of the Seniors Task Force, led two major efforts in the House to protect funding for critical seniors programs, including nutrition and community-based care programs, that help older Americans live active and independent lives. Joined by U.S. Reps. Ted Deutch (FL-21), Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), and David Loebsack (IA-02), Murphy led a letter with the support of over 40 House Democrats urging full funding of the congregate and home-delivered nutrition services provided by the Administration for Community Living (ACL) as authorized by the Older Americans Act.

Press availability with Baseball Hall of Famer Cal Ripken, Jr. The City of Tampa and the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation will unveil a multi-purpose Youth Development Park to the Springhill Park Community Center in Sulphur Springs

Florida’s housing market reported increased new listings, rising median prices and fewer all-cash closed sales in February, according to the latest housing data released by Florida Realtors®. Closed sales of single-family homes statewide totaled 18,159 last month, remaining relatively the same (up 0.4 percent) as the February 2015 figure