HOMES

For residents facing foreclosure, trying to get ahold of anyone who can help can be a daunting task.

On Wednesday night, homeowners met face to face with a roomful of experts who they hoped could help them save their homes.

Reporter Willard Shepard reported on Wednesday night from Aventura, from a ZIP code with an unusually high foreclosure rate.

"I almost went into the foreclosure process," Miami Gardens homeowner Yves Gordon said.

Gordon spent the better part of the year trying to stave off foreclosure on his property. He said his lender didn't respond to his calls.

"It took almost five months to respond and they did not try to work with me," he said.

He's not alone.

On Wednesday, Circuit Court Judge Jennifer Bailey gathered court officials, lenders, real estate attorneys, even post office officials for a discussion of the issue. The objective was to find some way to manage the huge and still growing problem of foreclosures that are swamping the courts.

"Taxpayers have rights that they are resorting to the judicial system for remedies and it makes it very difficult for judges to hear their cases. The dockets are clogged," real estate attorney Andy Tarr said.

This month alone, 6,000 foreclosures are on the books for Miami-Dade -- triple the number for January.

Broward is seeing the same kind of jump.

Court experts say it's not just affecting people and banks dealing with the real estate mess. For any taxpayer with a claim in court, justice is being delayed.

"Clients -- I have to explain to them that your case didn't make the docket. And it's something they have to wait for, and there's frustration," Tarr said.

The Web site realtytrac.com says banks have already taken over more than 11,000 properties this year in Miami Dade and 12,000 in Broward, and just a fraction of that in Monroe. The numbers don't include those foreclosures standing in line at the courthouse for their number to be called.

"The judges understand that the lenders must be able to prove their case. They have to have the standing to come in and foreclose on people's homes. And the people who are being foreclosed on need to know what their rights and possible remedies are," Tarr said.