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TALLAHASSEE, FL - January 02, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- Attorney General Pam Bondi issued the following statement on Congress’ one-year tax relief extension for consumers who have mortgage debt canceled or forgiven due to financial hardship or a decline in housing values.

TALLAHASSEE, FL - December 12, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater released the following statement regarding his public comments to the Federal Housing Finance Authority regarding the proposed tax on Floridians. The FHFA proposal would increase Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s Guarantee Fee (“g-fee”) which could raise the total lifetime cost of mortgages by potentially thousands of dollars for aspiring homebuyers

TAVARES, FL - November 21, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- All offices of the Lake County Board of County Commissioners, Clerk of Courts, Property Appraiser, Supervisor of Elections and Tax Collector will be closed Thursday, Nov. 22 and Friday, Nov. 23 for the Thanksgiving holiday.

TALLAHASSEE, FL - November 20, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- Attorney General Pam Bondi and Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen are leading the national effort by state attorneys general urging Congress to extend tax relief for consumers who have mortgage debt canceled or forgiven due to financial hardship or a decline in housing values. Forty-two state attorneys general have joined Attorney General Bondi and Attorney General Jepsen in signing on to a letter to U.S. House and Senate leaders requesting them to extend this distressed homeowner tax relief, which has been in effect since 2007 and is scheduled to expire Dec. 31, 2012

TAVARES, FL - August 28, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- 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, Sept. 3 in observance of Labor Day

Crystal Beach, FL - October 19, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Pinellas County Commissioner Ken Welch is set to host the coming community office hours program on October 19, 2011, Wednesday, from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm at the conference room of St. Petersburg College West Library, situated at 6700 8th Avenue N., St. Petersburg.

TAVARES, FL - September 1, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- 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, Sept. 5 to observe Labor Day.

ORLANDO, FL - May 6, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- With the state Legislature’s passage of HJR 381/SJR 658, lawmakers have made it clear today that they share the goal of Florida Realtors® in bringing fairness to Florida's property tax system. As Florida leaders seek ways to attract businesses, out-of-state buyers and investors to the Sunshine State, the appeal of a property tax incentive is a strong one.HJR 381/SJR 658 would, among other things, provide property tax relief to non-homestead owners and first-time buyers.

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 - August 24, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Sales of existing condominiums in Florida rose 11 percent in July, with a total of 5,557 condos sold statewide compared to 4,991 units sold in July 2009, according to the latest housing data released by Florida Realtors®.Eleven of Florida’s metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) reported higher existing condo sales in July, according to Florida Realtors. The statewide existing condo median sales price last month was $87,200; in July 2009 it was $108,500 for a 20 percent decrease. The national median existing condo price was $181,300 in June, according to the National Association of Realtors® (NAR

TALLAHASSEE, FL - August 10, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Attorney General Bill McCollum today announced his office has launched three new investigations into allegations of unfair and deceptive actions by Florida law firms handling foreclosure cases. The Attorney General’s Economic Crimes Division is investigating whether improper documentation may have been created and filed with Florida courts to speed up foreclosure processes, potentially without the knowledge or consent of the homeowners involved

ORLANDO, FL - April 1, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The countdown has begun: Only a month remains before the federal homebuyer tax credit expires, so now is the time for house hunters to find the home they’ve always wanted in Florida.

TALLAHASSEE, FL - January 29, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Florida CFO Alex Sink is urging Florida taxpayers to find out if they may be one of the estimated 10,000 Floridians who qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), a federal tax credit for low-income working individuals and families, on Earned Income Tax Credit Awareness Day 2010. Eligible Floridians are due back an estimated $15 billion, on top of what they already may be claiming on their taxes, if they all claimed the EITC.

Washington, DC - December 14, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a senior member of the Florida Congressional Delegation, voted against the tax increases in the Tax Extenders Act of 2009, as these increases would harm the already-stressed commercial real estate market. The legislation includes a $24.6 billion permanent tax increase on investments in the midst of a recession

ORLANDO, FL - November 9, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Potential homebuyers have even more incentive to purchase a Florida home, according to Florida Realtors, thanks to the extension and expansion of the federal $8,000 first-time homebuyer tax credit.

WASHINGTON, DC - November 6, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Congressman Kendrick B. Meek today voted in favor of H.R. 3548, the Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009 to extend critical unemployment benefits for unemployed workers, expand and improve the homebuyer tax credit, and provide tax relief for military families and businesses. The legislation passed by an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote of 402-12.

Washington, DC - November 5, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Congressman Ron Klein (FL-22) today joined a bipartisan majority of his colleagues to support legislation that will strengthen South Florida’s economy. The bill, the Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2009 (H.R. 3548) has two critical provisions for our community. First, it extends tax credits for first-time homebuyers in order to continue to provide a crucial jolt to the real estate market and the South Florida economy. In addition, the bill supports local businesses by allowing a five-year carry-back on net operating losses.

Washington, DC - October 8, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Congresswoman Suzanne Kosmas (FL-24) voted in favor of the Service Members Home Ownership Tax Act (H.R. 3590), which will make changes to home-buying provisions in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to benefit active-duty servicemen and women currently, or soon to be, deployed overseas. The bipartisan legislation passed by a vote of 416-0.

WASHINGTON, DC - October 8, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) -- Congressman Connie Mack (FL-14) praised unanimous passage of legislation in the House of Representatives today that will extend the $8,000 first-time homebuyer tax credit for one year for qualifying U.S. servicemen and women.

Florida Homebuyer Opportunity Program Runs Through Nov. 30. ORLANDO, FL - July 13, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — Like thousands of first-time homebuyers around the state, Aaron Thorp is planning to take advantage of a new Florida economic stimulus initiative. Under the Florida Homebuyer Opportunity Program, eligible buyers can receive up to $8,000 in immediate assistance for a downpayment or closing costs, rather than wait to receive their federal tax credit for first-time homebuyers.