A split has emerged between the Florida House and Senate on how to use $200 million the state received as part of a multi-state agreement with five major lenders.
The main spending panel in the Senate will take up a proposed committee bill (SB 7146) Wednesday that would divide the money into a number of areas, including some of the traditional affordable housing programs already up and running in the state.
This is quite different from the House, which last month proposed to spread the money through several programs — including one that would provide down payment assistance to teachers, veterans as well as doctors and nurses living in rural areas.
Florida is getting the money as part of its direct share in the $25 billion settlement reached last year with attorneys general across the country. It took months for Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Legislature to reach a deal on how to use the money, since initially Bondi did not want to let legislators have access to the money.
Bondi elicited a promise that the money would be used generally to aid homeowners and others harmed by some of the abuses that occurred during the “robo-signing” controversy. But that hasn’t stopped legislators from directing the money into different areas.
The Senate bill provides $10 million to provide housing for the homeless and nearly $23 million to the state courts to provide technology assistance to expedite foreclosure cases, allow for the use of more senior judges, temporary case management staff and clerks of the court.