A bill that would speed up Florida's sluggish foreclosure process passed the House on Monday 87-26 and was sent to the Senate. With the state leading the nation in foreclosures, supporters said the measure would help people stay in their homes and help consumers by shortening the statute of limitations on filing foreclosures.
Representative Daniel Davis said the bill also will help homeowners because the length of the process creates more abandoned homes and keeps property values low.
"And because the foreclosure process is such a long process, you have dilapidated buildings, yards that aren't being kept up, and you have these people who have worked very, very hard to make payments in tough times suffering", Davis said.
The bill would also tighten guidelines for lenders trying to collect on overdue mortgages. Opponents like Representative Hazelle Rogers said lenders caused the problem and the bill could favor them over home buyers.