Florida
New Florida law attempts to curb home title fraud
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – Homes across Florida are being stolen, many without the knowledge of the homeowner.
Criminals are committing fraud by changing property titles, even if someone already lives in the home. A recent LexisNexis study found mortgage scams were up 51% last year.
Matt Cox served 12 years in federal prison after he stole titles and used fake identities to take mortgages on property in Florida and other states. He stole tens of millions of dollars from more than 100 victims.
“I knew nobody was going to be notified and I knew that was difficult to find me after the crime had occurred,” Cox said. “I believe the FBI said it’s one of the fastest-growing property crimes out there.”
Florida politics:
Counties in Florida are trying to prevent this crime by offering a title alert program.
“Hopefully this will encourage even more people to sign up for these owner alerts in order for us to combat fraud,” Florida Rep. Christine Hunschofsky, (D) Parkland, said.
Hunschofsky said this new law is all about protecting consumers.
“We want to make sure you’re protected, to make sure nothing is happening to your property or title that could take away property from you,” Hunschofsky said.
Lawmakers considered other proposals to fight title fraud, but they died during the last legislative session. Cox said more needs to be done to prevent the crime.
“You being notified allows you to notify law enforcement and they can look for me. But even if they find me they are not going to fix the title to your home,” Cox said.
It’s hard to track title fraud because often criminals are charged with other crimes like mortgage fraud.
Residents can contact their local property appraiser to check if they have a monitoring service that notifies people of any changes to their home title.
Copyright 2024 WCTV. All rights reserved.
TCPalm staff share their top restaurant recommendations in Vero Beach, Sebastian, Fellsmere.
Indian River County is home to many unique restaurants, far too many to choose from.
There are so many restaurants on the Treasure Coast to try, but it can be hard knowing where to start.
Here are the TCPalm staff’s recommendations for restaurants in Vero Beach, Sebastian and Fellsmere.
Indian River County restaurant recommendations
Olivia Franklin is TCPalm’s trending reporter. You can contact her at olivia.franklin@tcpalm.com, 317-627-8048 or follow her on X @Livvvvv_5.
Florida
Pilot program aims to build $200K homes in Central Florida to help low-income families buy, not rent
ORLANDO, Fla. – For many Central Florida families, the dream of owning a home feels further out of reach than ever.
With the median home price now topping $400,000, a new pilot program in Orlando is trying to change that by building new homes for about half the cost.
A lot off Quill Avenue in Parramore may not look like much right now, but organizers say it could soon be the site of a new home priced around $200,000 for low-income families.
“We just really wanted an opportunity to bring actual affordable housing to people who have basically been forever renters,” said Satrina Whithead with the GXVE Homes Initiative.
The GXVE Homes Initiative says the goal is to help families earning between $16,000 and $65,000 a year get a chance at homeownership. Whithead said the homes could range from 500 to 1,400 square feet, depending on the lot size and location.
The Orlando Regional Realtor Association reports the median home price in the area is now more than $400,000. Whithead said GXVE hopes to sell homes for about half that.
“There’s nothing wrong with profit, but at the end of the day, I want to help where the need is greatest,” Whithead said.
Organizers say they are already planning to build in Parramore and are working to close on two additional properties. They also say they have properties planned in Sanford and Mims, with a goal of bringing eight homes a year to Central Florida.
“You can pay 80 percent of your salary on rent just to have a place to live. So getting that number back down to around 50 percent is extremely important,” said Mike Harris, vice president of GXVE Homes.
Florida Made Tiny Homes, which is partnering with the organization, said it plans to build concrete homes that exceed safety requirements for the area.
“I don’t think there’s going to be anything available on the market in that price range, much less new construction,” said Dylan Grace, co-founder of Florida Made Tiny Homes.
Program organizers say they expect to start construction in the fall and hope to complete the first home within six to eight months after work begins. For more information please click here.
Copyright 2026 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) — A former Florida juvenile probation officer is facing more than 100 felony charges after investigators said she leaked confidential court and law enforcement information to people tied to a drug trafficking investigation.
Crystal Gaynell Ann Lawson was booked into the Orange County Jail on Thursday, according to Orange County Corrections records.
Investigators said Lawson improperly accessed the Comprehensive Case Information System, or CCIS, more than 100 times and shared information from active criminal cases with members of a drug trafficking organization.
FOX 35 Orlando reported Lawson was arrested on 113 felony counts of computer crimes for unauthorized access. Investigators said she allegedly accessed the database 106 times between January and May.
Lawson is accused of using the database to search for active criminal cases tied to members of the organization. Authorities said some of the information that was leaked included arrest warrants and documents connected to an active investigation.
Lawson was hired by the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice in February 2022. As part of that job, she was given access to the CCIS database. Authorities said she was fired later that year after an arrest, but her database access was not terminated.
See also: ‘Elf,’ ‘Couples Retreat’ actor jailed with no bond after Florida arrest
Investigators said the leaks resulted in lost evidence, unrecovered assets and at least one person fleeing to avoid arrest before later being taken into custody.
Lawson previously worked for the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, where she had access to the court information system as part of her job. Authorities said she was later fired, but her database access was not terminated.
Orange County Corrections records list Lawson’s case status as “presentenced” and show multiple entries for “offense against computer users.”
The records list the arresting agency as the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and show bond amounts of $10,000 on several listed case sequences. The jail record also notes an “ICJIS Affidavit.”
-
Sports7 minutes agoDodgers’ walk-off stuns Orioles as Dalton Rushing helps cap wild comeback
-
World19 minutes agoTrump doubles down on Meloni photo comments
-
News42 minutes agoThe Real Love Company made her feel whole. Then ‘Daddy’ said to strip naked.
-
Los Angeles, Ca2 hours agoWoman, man found shot to death in Pomona, suspect leads officers on erratic chase
-
Detroit, MI2 hours agoToday in History: June 20, race-related rioting erupts in Detroit
-
San Francisco, CA3 hours agoSan Francisco hotels see steady World Cup business, but fall short of Super Bowl surge
-
Dallas, TX3 hours agoDallas International Piano Competition brings finalists June 23
-
Miami, FL3 hours agoWhere to watch San Francisco Giants vs Miami Marlins: TV channel, start time, streaming for June 20
