Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Associated PressMarch 8, 2016

Donald-Trump-AP-photo-02.23-1024x1024.jpg

Tarla Makaeff has had enough of Donald Trump after spending six years fighting him in court. The Southern California yoga instructor wants to withdraw from a federal class-action lawsuit that says Trump University fleeced students with an empty promise to teach them real estate. Her lawyers said the Republican presidential front-runner and his team have […]

Staff ReportsFebruary 26, 2016

Despite recent good news in the national economy, Floridians’ expectations about personal finances in the coming year were pessimistic, especially among women and people 60 and older, according to the latest University of Florida consumer survey. Consumer sentiment among Floridians fell slightly in February to 91.5—down almost 1 point from January’s revised reading of 92.4. […]

Scott PowersJanuary 30, 2016

The buildings and land occupied by the Orlando Sentinel have been put up for sale by Tribune Media, the company that formerly owned the newspaper and still owns the real estate, according to GrowthSpotter. GrowthSpotter, a business news service that’s a sister publication of the Sentinel, cited anonymous sources “with direct knowledge” in reporting Saturday […]

Associated PressJanuary 24, 2016

Facing a teetering economy at home, wealthy Brazilians have been pouring money into what they increasingly see as the safest place to invest: South Florida real estate. So are Argentinians, Colombians, Mexicans, Venezuelans, French and Turks — almost anyone with money to shelter, a direct flight to Miami and a shaky economy to flee. Their […]

Staff ReportsDecember 23, 2015

Consumer sentiment fell slightly in December to 90.2, down almost 1 point from November’s revised reading, but 2.6 points higher than last December, according to the latest University of Florida consumer survey. Among the five components that make up the index, three declined, and two increased. The perception of the personal financial situation now compared […]

Staff ReportsNovember 25, 2015

Consumer sentiment among Floridians rose more than 2 points in November to 91.5, up more than 5 points compared with November last year, according to the latest University of Florida consumer survey. Among the five components that make up the index, four increased and one declined. Perception of personal finance now compared with a year […]

Ryan RayNovember 3, 2015

Amid a heated inter-industry debate among representatives of title insurance companies and homeowners’ and condominium association managers, a bill to shift certain closing costs onto the latter passed the House Civil Justice Committee on Tuesday with two “no” votes. Republican Rep. John Wood‘s HB 203 is based on the premise that HOAs and condo associations are charging […]

Staff ReportsOctober 30, 2015

Consumer sentiment among Floridians fell slightly in October to 88.8, down less than half a point from September’s revised reading, according to the latest University of Florida consumer survey. Among the five components that make up the index, one decreased while two increased and two remained unchanged. “The greatest decline in the consumer sentiment index […]

Guest AuthorApril 12, 2015

Two bills speeding through the legislature, CS/SB 736 and CS/CS/HB 611, are set to change complex and nuanced areas of real estate law. They deal with such arcane things as estoppel certificates and who pays what at real estate closings. Those concepts may be complex to the average reader, so I’d like to frame it […]

Bruce RitchieMarch 22, 2015

Most mornings I walk my dog down to the neighborhood lakeside park. In the evening I go there to jog while others go bicycling, walking and fishing. In 2000, my yard and the hundreds of homes surrounding it were pastureland owned by The St. Joe Co., the timber and paper conglomerate. In 1998, St. Joe […]

Tag: real estate

Trump University plaintiff seeks to withdraw from lawsuit

Gloomy outlook keeps Florida consumer sentiment flat in February

Tribune Media puts Orlando Sentinel property up for sale, report says

As wealthy Brazilians snap up Miami real estate, few benefit

Consumer sentiment drops in December amid personal finance concerns

Florida consumer sentiment ticks up in November in time for holiday sales

Disputed real estate estoppel bill clears House panel, but has a long way to go

Florida consumer confidence drops in October, low-income households gloomiest

Barry Berkowitz: Key fact about estoppel bill: it's bad for homeowners

Bruce Ritchie: How much is enough conservation land for Florida?