Foreclosure Crisis Prompts Action

BROOKSVILLE - Rising numbers of home foreclosure cases in Hernando County have prompted county commissioners to schedule a workshop and explore ways to help embattled homeowners.

There were 252 foreclosures in the county at last count, according to the property appraiser's office.

The county is concerned with homes sitting vacant for long periods of times.

Lack of property maintenance can result in health problems, trespassing and other illegal activity, according to a memo from Interim County Administrator Larry Jennings.

That number could rise as the housing market continues its downward spiral.

Recognizing that, commissioners in November asked staffers to meet with bankers, builders, realtors, the sheriff's office and other stakeholders to discuss the large number of foreclosures and report back at a Jan. 15 workshop.

The private and public sector held two meetings and came up with several recommendations, including the need to get legislators to release to local governments a portion of the down payment assistance funds currently being held in the state housing trust fund for distribution to homeowners.

To date, there is more than $500 million in the state Sadowski Trust Fund, according to local Realtor Gary Schraut.

That money could be freed up to provide more affordable housing alternatives for teachers, firefighters, police officers and others, Schraut said.

Other ideas discussed at the two brainstorming meetings:

•Develop a brochure for homeowners with tips on how to prevent foreclosure. There are also plans to sponsor a free seminar to inform owners of their options if they face financial distress.

•Produce a program for the local government channel making viewers aware of assistance before they find themselves in a foreclosure situation.

•Alert legislators of the need to speed up the process for banks to secure non-homestead properties earlier in the foreclosure process so they can keep the salability of the property.

The foreclosure process can take up to 18 months and banks cannot access the property unless they get a court order.

•Advise banks and lenders of the court order process for obtaining property access for maintenance purposes rather than waiting sometimes more than a year for the foreclosure process to be complete.

County commissioners will discuss foreclosures at their workshop scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 15, at the Hernando County Government Center, 20 North Main St. in downtown Brooksville.