Florida RealEstateRama

ORLANDO, FL - January 25, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Attention Florida high school seniors: Time is running out for you to win up to $6,000 to help pay for college tuition next year. Better start writing – only a few weeks remain until the Feb. 9, 2011, deadline to enter Florida Realtors® 2010-2011 Scholarship/Essay Contest for High School Seniors, which offers a total of $28,000 in scholarship funding.

ORLANDO, FL - January 20, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Sales of existing homes and condominiums in Florida rose in December, a positive trend also reported at the close of 2010 as statewide sales activity posted gains over the previous year, according to the latest housing data released by Florida Realtor

ORLANDO, FL - January 14, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Do you have kids currently in college, or maybe one who is about to graduate high school? Are they interested in a possible real estate-related career? Then find out more about the Student Scholarship Program offered through Florida Realtors® Education Foundation Inc., a not-for-profit corporation established to provide real estate-related educational scholarships and grants. But act fast: The application deadline for this year's program is Feb. 28, 2011.

Tampa, FL - January 12, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- In recognition of the bicentennial of the 1811-1812 New Madrid Earthquakes, the Central U.S. Earthquake Consortium (CUSEC), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) are teaming with state and local partners to bring residents and organizations in the affected region an educational campaign to help reduce their earthquake risk.

TALLAHASSEE, FL - January 10, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater today announced the arrest of mortgage fraud scammer Guillermo Fraginals Parra, 37, of Hialeah, on charges of first degree grand theft. Parra, the 18th individual arrested in this scam, was a real estate appraiser at the time the crimes occurred and was being paid on the side to inflate the value of various condominiums in the Brickell Bay Condo Community

December 30, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- At the Jan. 5, 2011, Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners Regular meeting, the County will hold a public hearing to amend the 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11 Affordable Housing Annual Action Plans. The Action Plans guide the County on how it will spend grant funds received from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development in the following grants

December 29, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Hillsborough County homeowners have until March, 31, 2011, to apply for a Sinkhole Assistance Grant. The Grant is to provide qualified homeowners with financial assistance to recover from the damages of sinkhole impacts from January 2010 through March 2010, and to assist them in the maintenance and support of their families

ORLANDO, FL - December 23, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Sales of existing condominiums in Florida rose 10 percent in September, with a total of 5,675 condos sold statewide compared to 5,140 units sold in September 2009, according to the latest housing data released by Florida Realtors®.

WASHINGTON, DC - December 13, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- A Florida man and two U.K. nationals pleaded guilty Dec.10, 2010, to immigration fraud charges for their roles in a scheme to fraudulently procure visas from the U.S. Embassy in London through a Florida property development company called Royal Development. The guilty pleas were announced today by Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Robert E. O’Neill of the Middle District of Florida; Eric J. Boswell, Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security; and Special Agent in Charge Linda J. Osuna of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Criminal Investigation Division.

ORLANDO, FL - December 8, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Florida high school seniors: Are you filling out college applications and poring over potential scholarship programs? Then make plans to enter the Florida Realtors®' 2010-2011 Scholarship Essay Contest for High School Seniors for a chance to win up to $6,000 in scholarship funding.

TALLAHASSEE, FL - December 6, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Attorney General Bill McCollum and the Florida Interagency Mortgage Task Force today hosted a community forum in Kissimmee to discuss the housing crisis. The event was designed to present a comprehensive approach for dealing with housing-related issues and provide information and assistance to consumers. Participating agencies included state agencies, law enforcement and regulatory authorities.

WASHINGTON, DC - December 3, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- A former residential sales manager at a Florida property management company pleaded guilty to wire fraud in connection with housing repair contracts for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the Department of Justice announced today.

Tampa, FL - December 3, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- With one of the most active Atlantic Hurricane seasons on record now over, the Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) is encouraging home and business owners to use the cooler months ahead to add hurricane-resistant features to their homes and commercial buildings.

Tampa, FL - December 2, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- With the 2010 winter season settling upon the U.S., the Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) is offering guidance on how business and home owners can protect their property from winter weather-related perils.

December 2, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Madame Speaker, I rise today to thank all of my colleagues here in the House, and especially my constituents at home in South Florida.

ORLANDO, FL - November 23, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Statewide year-to-date existing home sales in Florida showed positive momentum in October: 143,398 single-family existing homes sold for a 7 percent increase over the same period a year ago, though uncertainty over job growth, restrictive credit and foreclosure issues had a dampening effect on housing activity last month, according to industry analysts. The latest housing data released by Florida Realtors® also reported a 33 percent rise in statewide year-to-date condominium sales compared to a year ago, with a total of 59,966 units sold

November 23, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, in a speech to the Chamber of Commerce of Southwest Florida in Fort Myers today, proposed Congress use money from so-called congressional earmarks to help reinstitute the homebuyers tax credit as a means of addressing the state and country’s sagging real estate markets. The program provided an $8,000 tax credit for qualified first-time homebuyers and a $6,500 tax credit for repeat buyers. In the first quarter of this year, the tax credit led to a six percent increase in all home sales and a forty-two percent increase in the sale of new homes. But the program expired earlier this year. Following are excerpts of his prepared remarks

ORLANDO, FL - November 12, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Sales of existing condominiums in Florida rose 15 percent in third quarter 2010 compared to the same period a year earlier, according to the latest housing statistics from Florida Realtors®. A total of 16,938 existing condos sold statewide in 3Q 2010; during the same period the year before, a total of 14,793 units changed hands.

ORLANDO, FL - November 8, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- What do Florida Realtors®, United Nations Foundation, National Education Association and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History have in common? All received national awards for outstanding public relations efforts from PR News in a ceremony held Nov. 3 at the National Press Club in Washington, DC

WASHINGTON, DC - November 5, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Members of the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International and other real estate and business interests achieved a significant victory on Tuesday with the defeat of Amendment 4 in Florida. If passed, the amendment would have required the state’s voters to approve all local comprehensive land use plan changes, rather than having those changes approved or rejected by city and county commissions. The amendment needed 60 percent of the vote for approval; however, 67 percent of voters rejected the measure. The outcome of the vote is expected to set a national precedent for other states.