In The News

RISMEDIA —Americans remain strongly committed to federal support for home buyers, according to a recent survey of U.S. households.

Roughly 68% of those polled said the government should continue to support housing, and 65% believe the government should be doing more to keep families from losing their homes to foreclosure.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – March 11, 2010 – Governor Charlie Crist directed Interim Emergency Management Director David Halstead to write a letter to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Regional Administrator Phillip May regarding federal assistance for Floridians affected by defective drywall.

MoneyWatch.com: When Scouring the Housing Market, Watch out for these All-Too-Common Lies, Tricks and Exaggerations

MoneyWatch.com - <!-- sphereit start-->This story, by Ilyce Glink, originally appeared on CBS' Moneywatch.com

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – March 9, 2010 – Impersonating a locksmith could become a crime under legislation before Florida lawmakers that creates licensing standards for anyone who wants to make keys or pick locks for a living.

Sen. Victor Crist, R-Tampa, and Rep. Tom Anderson, R-Dunedin, have both filed bills that would create locksmith licensing standards to stop criminals who set up fake businesses in order to later break into a person’s home, car or safe.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – March 8, 2010 – Florida got more federal funds than any other state as part of a program to put new owners into foreclosed houses. But the state ranks below the national average for dedicating and spending that money.

As of Feb. 22, communities in Florida had earmarked 28 percent of more than $541 million they received last spring from the Neighborhood Stabilization Program. And they spent even less – 13 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) – March 5, 2010 – U.S. Sen. David Vitter has called for federal officials to do a more thorough review of the deaths of several people who lived in homes that contained smelly, possibly toxic Chinese drywall.

Federal officials at the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said they have investigated and found no link between the drywall and the deaths of eight people.

WASHINGTON – March 4, 2010 – A batch of economic reports Wednesday depicted a broadening recovery, with services industries last month growing at the fastest pace in more than two years and job losses slowing despite snowstorms that hampered key sectors such as retail.

Growth remains relatively modest, held back at least partly by brutal slumps in commercial real estate and construction, and tight credit markets, according to a nationwide report from the Federal Reserve.

Washington, February 23, 2010 (Realtor.org) Although the economy has been growing lately, fallout from the recent recession continued to negatively impact commercial real estate sectors in the fourth quarter, but there is hope for some improvement next year, according to the National Association of Realtors®.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – March 3, 2010 – The Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) began a statewide enforcement operation this week to stop unlicensed activity. Sweep and sting operations will be held throughout Florida, with the department’s current emphasis on unlicensed community association managers and low voltage electrical contracting.

“Unlicensed activity harms consumers, our licensees and Florida’s economy,” says Interim Secretary Charlie Liem.