Floridians continue to lose their homes daily, even as there’s hundreds of millions of dollars available under a federal program to assist the “hardest hit” homeowners.
U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson stepped up a complaint this week that the state is “stalling” federal emergency assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure.
Nelson, a Democrat, has written to Gov. Rick Scott asking why the state hasn’t handed out money as part of the federal “Hardest Hit” program, which is administered by the Florida Housing Finance Corp.
Florida was chosen along with some other states with high unemployment and foreclosure rates to get $1 billion in federal money to help homeowners make mortgage payments. But the money hasn’t been distributed.
“Every day the state waits, people are losing their homes,” Nelson said.
A pilot program was run in Lee County, but the statewide program is in limbo.
“The governor’s staff has been meeting with staff from Florida Housing Finance Corporation to review and determine the best course of action for the “Hardest Hit” program,” said Brian Hughes, a spokesman for Scott. “The review continues.”
