Tallahassee, Florida – Florida currently has about 350,000 foreclosure cases backlogged in the court system.
The cases take an average of two-and-a-half years. That’s twice the national average.
Now Florida lawmakers have passed legislation to speed up the foreclosure process.
The bill reduces the amount of time that homeowners have to put together a defense explaining why they should be allowed to stay in the house.
It also shortens the time that banks can seek an unpaid mortgage from a defaulting homeowner.
Opponents are urging Gov. Rick Scott to veto the bill.
Alice Vickers of the Florida Consumer Action Network says the measure would take away people’s property rights and unfairly force them to defend against foreclosure without enough time to prepare.
