The amendment was removed by a judge in Tallahassee, Florida as he found the wording misleading and was concerned that voters would approve the amendment without all the information.

According to John Sepree, the VP of Public Policy at Florida Realtors, “We are, of course, disappointed that the courts removed Amendment 3 from the November ballot, however, we do see an opportunity in this. The Florida Legislature clearly favors a yearly cap on property taxes for commercial real estate, as well as a break for first-time homeowners.”

Amendment 7, a proposed amendment that would add standards to redistricting and amendment 9, the “health care freedom” amendment were also rejected by the Supreme Court.  However the two redistricting amendments, 5 and 6, were allowed by the court.

While a day on the water can be an incredible experience, accidents are quite common but can be avoided by following a few safety tips to ensure that your Labor Day weekend is fun and safe for the whole family. The main reasons for boating accidents are inexperience, recklessness, speeding and just plain not paying attention.  One of the best ways to stay on your toes while on the water is to leave the alcohol at home.  Never use alcohol or drugs before or during boat operation, it’s dangerous for a number of reasons.

Be certain that you have a life jacket on board for each person on the boat, it’s not only smart practice it’s the law.  Be sure that all the lights on the boat are in working order.  You may not plan on being on the boat after dark, however circumstances may arise that your lights are necessary.  Be prepared.

Always keep a first aid kit on board as well as flares and maps, keep them in a floating pouch.  Make sure that you have a proper anchor and that you know how to use it.

Make sure that you check the weather before leaving the house.  The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) provide an accurate and informative website for tracking the weather.

For more information on safety boating tips, feel free to visit boatsafe.com.

Dubbed as a “new town”, The Quarry Preserve has been planned for nearly five years with state, local and regional planners in an effort to acknowledge every nook and cranny of the proposal. The need for additional residential structures in Hernando has been questioned as well as the water provisions for the development.  The developer of the project has responded with a planned well field that would provide enough water for the project as well as additional water for Hernando County.

Many residents remain up in arms over the new development, with concerns over the struggling subdivisions currently standing that have not been built out. Many question the need for more housing throughout the county and the costs that would ensue.  However, according to Jake Varn, representative for the developer, the agreement states that the developer must bring in a set amount of business in order to keep developing the residential parts of the project.  In addition, the developer is paying for many of the infrastructure costs, including the $62 million set to widen US 98 from the Suncoast Parkway to Cobb Rd.

Florida, one of the states to receive monies from DREF, will receive over $26 million to be used for projects such as improving and enforcing building codes, home improvement grants and land-use plans.

According to Shaun Donovan, Secretary for HUD, “An ounce of prevention today can spare communities a world of hurt tomorrow.   We’re making a serious investment in our future by making certain that when disaster strikes, the impacted communities in these states can weather the storm.”

The term “underwater” is to say that the homeowner owes more on the mortgage loan than what the home is actually valued at.

By the end of June of this year, Corelogic reported that nearly 11 million mortgages were “underwater” which reflects a decline of .2 from March.

The top three states with the highest number of “underwater” mortgages are Nevada at 68%, Arizona at 50% and Florida coming in at #3 with 46%.

The State Foreclosure Prevention Working Group, made up of state attorneys general and banking regulators, also found that close to 63% of the homeowners that are at least two months behind on their mortgage is not involved in any form of mortgage modification program.

According to Neil Milner, President and CEO of the Conference of State Bank Supervisors, “There is still a tremendous amount of work to be done to prevent unnecessary foreclosures; Servicers must continue to perform meaningful outreach to those homeowners who are seriously delinquent and to perform modifications with significant principal reduction.”

Also in the report nine mortgage companies were noted as having serviced 4.6 million loans nationally, 2.3 million foreclosures have been completed.  This number reflects 3 times the amount of loan modifications that they have completed.

Foreclosure sales are held at the Citrus County Clerk’s office every Thursday at 10:00 a.m. in the Jury Assembly Room.  For a list of the foreclosures for sale visit the Clerk of Circuit Courts Website.