Florida Foreclosure Laws
Florida Foreclosure is Judicial.
Equity
All mortgages shall be foreclosed in equity. In a mortgage foreclosure action,
the court shall sever for separate trial all counterclaims against the foreclosing
mortgagee. The foreclosure claim shall, if tried, be tried to the court without
a jury.
Legal notice concerning foreclosure proceedings
Whenever a legal advertisement, publication, or notice relating to a foreclosure
proceeding is required to be placed in a newspaper, it is the responsibility
of the petitioner or petitioner's attorney to place such advertisement, publication,
or notice. Florida foreclosure law states that the advertisement, publication,
or notice shall be placed directly by the attorney for the petitioner, by the
petitioner if acting pro se, or by the clerk of the court.
Order to show cause; entry of final judgment of foreclosure; payment during
foreclosure
(1) After a complaint in a foreclosure proceeding has been filed,
the mortgagee may request an order to show cause for the entry of final judgment
and the court shall immediately review the complaint. If, upon examination
of the complaint, the court finds that the complaint is verified and alleges
a cause of action to foreclose on real property, the court shall promptly
issue an order directed to the defendant to show cause why a final judgment
of foreclosure should not be entered.
(a) Florida foreclosure law states that the order shall:
1. Set the date and time for hearing on the order to show cause. However,
the date for the hearing may not be set sooner than 20 days after the service
of the order. When service is obtained by publication, the date for the hearing
may not be set sooner than 30 days after the first publication. The hearing
must be held within 60 days after the date of service. Failure to hold the
hearing within such time does not affect the validity of the order to show
cause or the jurisdiction of the court to issue subsequent orders.
2. Direct the time within which service of the order to show cause
and the complaint must be made upon the defendant.
3. State that the filing of defenses by a motion or by a verified or
sworn answer at or before the hearing to show cause constitutes cause for
the court not to enter the attached final judgment.
4. State that the defendant has the right to file affidavits or other
papers at the time of the hearing and may appear personally or by way of an
attorney at the hearing.
5. State that, if the defendant files defenses by a motion, the hearing
time may be used to hear the defendant's motion.
6. State that, if the defendant fails to appear at the hearing to show
cause or fails to file defenses by a motion or by a verified or sworn answer
or files an answer not contesting the foreclosure, the defendant may be considered
to have waived the right to a hearing and in such case the court may enter
a final judgment of foreclosure ordering the clerk of the court to conduct
a foreclosure sale.
7. State that if the mortgage provides for reasonable attorney's fees
and the requested attorney's fees do not exceed 3 percent of the principal
amount owed at the time of filing the complaint, it is unnecessary for the
court to hold a hearing or adjudge the requested attorney's fees to be reasonable.
8. Attach the final judgment of foreclosure the court will enter, if
the defendant waives the right to be heard at the hearing on the order to
show cause.
9. Require the mortgagee to serve a copy of the order to show cause
on the mortgagor in the following manner:
a. If the mortgagor has been served with the complaint and original
process, service of the order may be made in the manner provided in the Florida
Rules of Civil Procedure.
b. If the mortgagor has not been served with the complaint and original
process, the order to show cause, together with the summons and a copy of
the complaint, shall be served on the mortgagor in the same manner as provided
by law for original process.
Any final judgment of foreclosure entered under this subsection is for in
rem relief only. Nothing in this subsection shall preclude the entry of a
deficiency judgment where otherwise allowed by law.
(b) The right to be heard at the hearing to show cause is waived if
the defendant, after being served as provided by law with an order to show
cause, engages in conduct that clearly shows that the defendant has relinquished
the right to be heard on that order. The defendant's failure to file defenses
by a motion or by a sworn or verified answer or to appear at the hearing duly
scheduled on the order to show cause presumptively constitutes conduct that
clearly shows that the defendant has relinquished the right to be heard. If
a defendant files defenses by a motion or by a verified or sworn answer at
or before the hearing, such action constitutes cause and precludes the entry
of a final judgment at the hearing to show cause.
(c) In a mortgage foreclosure proceeding, when a default judgment has
been entered against the mortgagor and the note or mortgage provides for the
award of reasonable attorney's fees, it is unnecessary for the court to hold
a hearing or adjudge the requested attorney's fees to be reasonable if the
fees do not exceed 3 percent of the principal amount owed on the note or mortgage
at the time of filing, even if the note or mortgage does not specify the percentage
of the original amount that would be paid as liquidated damages.
(d) If the court finds that the defendant has waived the right to be
heard as provided in paragraph (b), the court shall promptly enter a final
judgment of foreclosure. If the court finds that the defendant has not waived
the right to be heard on the order to show cause, the court shall then determine
whether there is cause not to enter a final judgment of foreclosure. If the
court finds that the defendant has not shown cause, the court shall promptly
enter a judgment of foreclosure.
(2) In an action for foreclosure, other than residential real estate,
the mortgagee may request that the court enter an order directing the mortgagor
defendant to show cause why an order to make payments during the pendency
of the foreclosure proceedings or an order to vacate the premises should not
be entered.
(a) Florida foreclosure law states that the order shall:
1. Set the date and time for hearing on the order to show cause. However,
the date for the hearing shall not be set sooner than 20 days after the service
of the order. Where service is obtained by publication, the date for the hearing
shall not be set sooner than 30 days after the first publication.
2. Direct the time within which service of the order to show cause
and the complaint shall be made upon the defendant.
3. State that the defendant has the right to file affidavits or other
papers at the time of the hearing and may appear personally or by way of an
attorney at the hearing.
4. State that, if the defendant fails to appear at the hearing to show
cause and fails to file defenses by a motion or by a verified or sworn answer,
the defendant may be deemed to have waived the right to a hearing and in such
case the court may enter an order to make payment or vacate the premises.
5. Require the mortgagee to serve a copy of the order to show cause
on the mortgagor in the following manner:
a. If the mortgagor has been served with the complaint and original
process, service of the order may be made in the manner provided in the Florida
Rules of Civil Procedure.
b. If the mortgagor has not been served with the complaint and original
process, the order to show cause, together with the summons and a copy of
the complaint, shall be served on the mortgagor in the same manner as provided
by law for original process.
(b) The right to be heard at the hearing to show cause is waived if
the defendant, after being served as provided by law with an order to show
cause, engages in conduct that clearly shows that the defendant has relinquished
the right to be heard on that order. The defendant's failure to file defenses
by a motion or by a sworn or verified answer or to appear at the hearing duly
scheduled on the order to show cause presumptively constitutes conduct that
clearly shows that the defendant has relinquished the right to be heard.
(c) If the court finds that the defendant has waived the right to be
heard, the court may promptly enter an order requiring payment in the amount
provided in paragraph (f) or an order to vacate.
(d) If the court finds that the mortgagor has not waived the right
to be heard on the order to show cause, the court shall, at the hearing on
the order to show cause, consider the affidavits and other showings made by
the parties appearing and make a determination of the probable validity of
the underlying claim alleged against the mortgagor and the mortgagor's defenses.
If the court determines that the mortgagee is likely to prevail in the foreclosure
action, the court shall enter an order requiring the mortgagor to make the
payment described in paragraph (e) to the mortgagee and provide for a remedy
as described in paragraph (f). However, the order shall be stayed pending
final adjudication of the claims of the parties if the mortgagor files with
the court a written undertaking executed by a surety approved by the court
in an amount equal to the unpaid balance of the mortgage on the property,
including all principal, interest, unpaid taxes, and insurance premiums paid
by the mortgagee.
(e) In the event the court enters an order requiring the mortgagor
to make payments to the mortgagee, payments shall be payable at such intervals
and in such amounts provided for in the mortgage instrument before acceleration
or maturity. The obligation to make payments pursuant to any order entered
under this subsection shall commence from the date of the motion filed hereunder.
The order shall be served upon the mortgagor no later than 20 days before
the date specified for the first payment. The order may permit, but shall
not require the mortgagee to take all appropriate steps to secure the premises
during the pendency of the foreclosure action.
(f) In the event the court enters an order requiring payments the order
shall also provide that the mortgagee shall be entitled to possession of the
premises upon the failure of the mortgagor to make the payment required in
the order unless at the hearing on the order to show cause the court finds
good cause to order some other method of enforcement of its order.
(g) All amounts paid pursuant to this section shall be credited against
the mortgage obligation in accordance with the terms of the loan documents,
provided, however, that any payments made under this section shall not constitute
a cure of any default or a waiver or any other defense to the mortgage foreclosure
action.
(h) Upon the filing of an affidavit with the clerk that the premises
have not been vacated pursuant to the court order, the clerk shall issue to
the sheriff a writ for possession which shall be governed by the provisions.
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