Tuesday's Afternoon Update
Florida Foreclosure Fight Could Be Bellwether
Michael D. Carlson recently filed a motion in Pinellas Circuit Court seeking to undo a foreclosure judgment against him from 2008, saying he never knew about the legal proceeding until it was over. As part of the motion, the 42-year-old divorced father of three also wants his home in Dunedin back. The problem is, Carlson's lender, Bank of America, sold it more than a year ago to another couple, who thought they had bought the foreclosed property free and clear. Legal experts say that in trying to reverse a foreclosure after the home has been sold to a third party, Carlson's case may be the first of its kind — but it's unlikely to be the last. Whether it's robo-signed documents, falsified affidavits or failure to properly notify defendants, as claimed in the Carlson case, shortcuts by lenders' law firms could prove to be land mines in the legal system. When triggered by homeowners who feel their cases were improperly handled, such issues could raise ownership questions for years to come. [Source: St. Petersburg Times]
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MUST-KNOW FLORIDIAN
Meet Jorge Perez, chief executive of The Related Group. He reshaped the south Florida skyline with high-profile condos from Miami Beach to West Palm Beach. Since the housing crisis, he has turned his attention to affordable housing projects planned for Orlando, West Palm Beach and Miami-Dade. Related: |
New Homes Edge Up - Even the 8-bedroom Kind
An executive for Arizona-based Meritage Homes thought the caller inquiring about an Orlando-area model with eight bedrooms was confused. Eight bedrooms? Really?
After all, new-home sizes have been shrinking nationwide, not growing, since the collapse of the housing boom several years ago. And Central Florida doesn't instill big-home confidence, with foreclosures clogging local courts, home prices a shadow of their former selves, and one in every 10 adults without a job.
And yet the caller was correct: One of the company's best sellers in the Orlando area right now is the supersized Del Rio model, with 5,100 square feet of living space and a price tag of about $300,000 — which is what houses half that size were selling for just three years ago. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]
Start-up's Goal: Wire, hire, Use Old Library Space
A win-win-win scenario was laid out Monday afternoon at the old downtown library: well-paying jobs downtown, affordable Internet access to those who can't afford it now and a vital piece in moving the library redevelopment ahead.
At a presentation in front of about 40 people, officials of Ringtail Technology, a Jacksonville-based start-up, unveiled its product: a wireless encoder that provides Internet, television and telephone services at a lower price than existing cable technology. Ryan Younger, the CEO, said the company is looking at charging about $50 for all three.
The primary target audience is poor and unserved markets, including overseas, he said. But the company does plan to launch it in Jacksonville, perhaps as soon as next year.
[Source: Florida Times-Union]
Miami Luxury Hotels Super-Size to Host NBA Players
At seven-foot-six, Houston Rockets center Yao Ming might find that his toes dangle a little off the end of the biggest beds available at Miami's new JW Marriott Marquis.
But for the average six-foot-seven NBA player, the 84-inch-long California King beds in the exclusive Hotel Beaux Arts, opening this month inside the Marriott, should be just right.
Not to mention the 120-pound hand weights in the gym, extra-long massage tables in the spa or regulation basketball court in the entertainment center. Traveling NBA teams are big business for downtown Miami hotels. Some of the area's newest hotels have consulted with the Heat to find out how to make their rooms as attractive as possible for professional athletes, who might bang their heads in a room made for regular folks.
[Source: Miami Herald]
Baseball Lovers Will Have More to Love Come Spring
Using a baseball analogy, the renovation of Ed Smith Stadium is somewhere in the fourth or fifth inning. No interruptions, postponements or delays are anticipated, and when it is done, officials expect the finished product to equal, in appearance, functionality and fan comfort, that most cherished of baseball events.
A home run. Perhaps even a grand slam.
"You never know until you get to the finish line,'' said Janet Marie Smith, the Baltimore Orioles' vice president of planning and development, "but our aim is to be a higher standard than we've seen in other spring training facilities."
[Source: Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
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