In this world fraught with forced foreclosures, the state of Florida has the dubious distinction of being the leading country in the number of foreclosures since the Great Recession of 2008. It is most prominent in Hillsbourgh County. In the Tampa, St. Pete area they are now under attack by unscrupulous lenders, developers, investors and real estate brokers. Everyone is using every trick in the book, including fraud and forgery, to foreclose on homes that have paid off their mortgages or have high equity in their homes, making it very lucrative for them to initiate foreclosures.

Even now, the courts, in collaboration with the lawyers, blatantly ignore and dismiss any litigation initiated by the owner that shows that there is no justification or that they have no right to execute and force the sale of their property. But, this is happening more now than ever before. Hillsbourg Circuit Court 13 rules too many cases in favor of all those who initiate foreclosures. And as such, far too many homeowners were and are being illegally forced out of their home.

Today, many homeowners have filed Homestead Exemptions with the state, and according to the Florida Constitution, “Article X, Section 4 of the Florida Constitution provides that Homestead property in Florida is “exempt from forcible sale under process of any court.” But, apparently, the 13th Circuit Court is unaware and acts contrary to the Florida Constitution.

As you can see, any homeowner who has filed a Real Property Exemption and is repossessed and even though a forced sale has taken place is a violation of the Florida Constitution. Thus, the Hillsbrough 13th Circuit Court, where judges approve these illegitimate foreclosures, is in fact violating Florida law by blatantly allowing these banks, developers, investors, and real estate brokers to proceed illegally in many cases.

It is always minorities, the elderly and the poor who have suffered the loss of their home even though they have a legitimate and legal right to keep their home. When any court refuses to uphold the rule of law as required by the Florida Constitution, it can only mean that our courts, especially the Hillsbourgh County 13th Circuit Court, are being corrupted by the influence of money every time a house is foreclosed.

Take the case of one Eleanor Jenkins, a 72-year-old African-American who brought their home with her now-deceased husband in 1985. For more than 35 years she has lived in this home and suffered the indignity of a finance company using a fraudulent mortgage that they say is in default and forcing an auction after notifying the court that not only does she have her homestead exemption, but she has all the paperwork that stipulates that her original mortgage was satisfied. cha and released shows that the court is in error. On the other hand, this could also prove that the courts acted with impunity by ignoring the Florida Constitution. A grave injustice that is sweeping the country with all the forced executions and forced sales of individual homes.