Drew Harwell | Tampa Bay Times |
“Florida ended 2013 once again as America’s reigning foreclosure king, though amid the housing recovery new cases plunged, RealtyTrac data released Thursday shows.
About 107,000 new foreclosures began last year in Florida, a 31 percent drop from 2012, as banks continued to tussle with homeowners in the aftermath of the housing bust.
In total, Florida had 260,000 foreclosures pending in court by December, about half as many as were filed or reopened in the Great Recession days of 2009, state court data shows.
One in 33 Florida housing units last year faced foreclosure and was sent a notice of default, auction or repossession, according to RealtyTrac.
Tampa Bay, which had more than 43,000 pending foreclosures, posted the sixth-highest foreclosure rate in the country, alongside many Sunshine State neighbors: Miami (No. 1), Jacksonville (No. 2), Orlando (No. 3), Palm Bay (No. 4), Port St. Lucie (No. 5), Ocala (No. 7) and Sarasota (No. 10).”