Florida RealEstateRama

Attorney General Pam Bondi today announced that the U.S. Supreme Court ordered an immediate halt to President Barack Obama’s unlawful power plan. The Court order is in response to a legal challenge brought by a bipartisan coalition of 29 states and state agencies, including Florida. While the stay is a major victory, the states’ litigation to stop the administration’s unlawful overreach continues in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Property service workers, represented by 32BJ Service Employees International Union (SEIU), announced today its support of Mayor Phillip K. Stoddard for Mayor of South Miami.

The Landings at Cross Bayou is a 184-unit Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program redevelopment of public housing that had become functionally obsolete and deteriorating as a result of inadequate funding. Located near St. Petersburg, Florida, this redevelopment of a Pinellas County Housing Authority property offers an instructive example of how public-private partnerships can effectively leverage the funding opportunities provided by the RAD program for low-income housing redevelopment

A groundbreaking for a new apartment building in Downtown Tampa.  The 23-story tower will house 362 apartment units and 8,000 square feet of street-level retail. Additionally, the site will include a fitness center and an eight-story, 460-space parking garage topped off by an eight-story amenity deck that will include a pool and garden area and club room

All offices of the Lake County Board of County Commissioners, Clerk of Courts, Property Appraiser, Supervisor of Elections and Tax Collector will be closed Monday, Feb. 15 for Presidents Day. Offices will reopen with regularly scheduled hours on Tuesday, Feb. 16

Attorney General Pam Bondi today announced a $470 million joint state-federal settlement with HSBC to address mortgage origination, servicing and foreclosure abuses. The settlement with the mortgage lender and servicer provides direct payments to Florida borrowers for past foreclosure abuses and requires the company to provide loan modifications and other consumer relief.

The University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Extension in Lake County is offering two educational horticulture classes in February.

The U.S. House today passed an amendment introduced by Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL) that will tighten income and asset verification requirements for public housing after an audit revealed that 25,000 families earned too much to qualify for these subsidies.

What will Florida’s real estate markets look like in the coming year? That was the question on the minds of a standing-room-only crowd of about 400 Realtors® at the 2016 Florida Real Estate Trends event last week during Florida Realtors® Mid-Winter Business Meetings

Lawmakers from Florida in both the U.S. House and Senate today introduced legislation, co-sponsored by Congressman Curt Clawson (FL-19), to expedite all Everglades-restoration projects that the Army Corps of Engineers deems ready to begin. The leaders of the Everglades Caucus took the Everglades for the Next Generation Act to the floors of both Congressional chambers.

The U.S. House is expected to vote today on Rep. Vern Buchanan’s (R-FL) amendment to tighten income and asset verification requirements for public housing after an audit revealed that 25,000 families earned too much to qualify for these subsidies. The amendment is to H.R. 3700, the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act.

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) today issued Geographic Targeting Orders (GTO) that will temporarily require certain U.S. title insurance companies to identify the natural persons behind companies used to pay “all cash” for high-end residential real estate in the Borough of Manhattan in New York City, New York, and Miami-Dade County, Florida. FinCEN is concerned that all-cash purchases – i.e., those without bank financing – may be conducted by individuals attempting to hide their assets and identity by purch

Congressman Steve Pearce issued the following statement after the House passed H.R. 3700, the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act of 2016

Lake County’s Building Services Division is hosting the “Swimming Pools and the Florida Building Code” workshop on Tuesday, Feb. 23 at 8:30 a.m. at the Lake County Extension Center, 1951 Woodlea Road, Tavares.

The University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Extension in Lake County is offering classes in Tavares, Leesburg and Lady Lake to help snowbirds learn tips and tricks for closing their seasonal homes.

Following the landmark ruling today on America's clean energy future by the U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor filed a bipartisan jobs and energy bill to spur investment and research in widespread distributed energy technology, such as rooftop solar. Often the cheapest, most reliable and efficient energy source, distributed energy creates electricity at or near the customer, as opposed to centralized generation at large power plants that often requires electricity to be transmitted long distances to consumers.

On Wednesday, February 10th, HOPE NOW, City of Tampa’s, Housing and Community Development Division, Housing & Education Alliance, CDC of Tampa Inc., Tampa Bay CDC and Neighborhood Home Solutions will host a foreclosure workshop to help homeowners in need of services that will help with home retention

U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) today asked the federal government to look into Florida’s handling of the $1 billion Hardest Hit mortgage assistance program, and provide guidance as needed. Nelson made the request in a letter sent today to Treasury Secretary Jack Lew. His request comes on the heels of a recent report by the Tampa Bay Times finding that tens of thousands of Florida homeowners seeking assistance through the program are still waiting for help.

U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) today issued the following statement regarding allegations of lead poisoning at the Eureka Garden HUD housing complex in Jacksonville, FL

Hunt Mortgage Group, a leader in financing commercial real estate throughout the United States, announced today that it has provided a $39.4 million Freddie Mac loan to refinance a multifamily property located in Tampa, Florida