Joseph Battaglia
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Taxing Times: A Primer on Your Florida Property Tax Bill
Florida, with its beautiful weather and sandy beaches, attracts not only tourists but also residents seeking a permanent paradise. Paradise comes with a price tag, though, and a significant portion of that tag is property taxes. As a Florida real estate attorney, I get many questions from clients about property taxes, especially deadlines, discounts, and…
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Selling Your Florida Home? Don’t Skip That HOA Payment!
As a real estate attorney handling closings right here in Florida, specifically in the Sarasota, Bradenton, and Lakewood Ranch area, I get this question a lot from sellers: “Should I pay my upcoming HOA assessment if I’m selling my house?” I understand why the question comes up. You’re focused on packing, finding your next home,…
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You Wouldn’t Sit On a One-Legged Stool
Preventing Wire Fraud in Real Estate Closings, Three Legs at a Time. In today’s digital age, the convenience and speed of electronic transactions have revolutionized many industries, and the real estate closing and title industry is no exception. However, this convenience has also opened the door to a growing number of scams, particularly wire fraud.…
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No Realistic Alternative
License plate readers, Article I, Section 23, and a question Florida answered in 19891 Most lawyers get them: the questions from friends and family at the weekend backyard barbecue, asking us to weigh in on whatever story is making headlines. Lately I’m getting a lot of questions about the license plate cameras that have been…
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How to Stop Junk Mail Addressed to a Deceased Loved One
When someone passes away, the family takes on a long list of tasks, and mail is usually near the top. You file a change of address, forward their mail to your own home, or ask the post office to hold it. Then the forwarded mail starts arriving, and it becomes clear how much of it…
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A Few Tools I Actually Use to Stop Feeding the Machine
I’ve spent a lot of recent blog posts on what the AI industry takes without asking — your data, your privacy, your content, your professional expertise, all treated as raw material for someone else’s product. I’ve made the case for regulation. I’ve made the case for lawmakers to slow down. But I’ve gotten a few…
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Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Means Test Median Family Income Levels By State, For Cases Filed On or After July 15, 2026
Below you will find the median family income levels utilized by the United States Trustee Program for means testing individuals who have filed for bankruptcy relief. Median income information is used in the means test utilized by bankruptcy courts when determining whether or not individuals qualify for relief under chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code.…
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Machines Need Permits, Too
On July 8, the Sarasota County Commission voted 5-0 to freeze the acceptance or review of data center applications for a year. One of the commissioners stated, “For me, it’s a no. Not now, not ever.” I’ve spent a number of recent blog posts writing about the AI industry and what it takes from us…
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Reissue Me This, Batt, Man (What is Title Insurance Reissue Credit?)
Calculating Title Insurance Premium Savings Should Never Be a Riddle As a Florida real estate attorney, I think a closing should be smooth, transparent, and as cost-effective as the law allows. One of the easiest ways to deliver on that last part — and one of the most commonly missed — is the reissue credit…
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Dear Grads (2026): I Want to Believe
“Dear Grads” is a series I publish each spring for high school graduates. Consider it unsolicited advice from a lawyer who has been around long enough to know a few things — and young enough to still remember what it felt like not to. Growing up in the 1990s, Friday nights had a shape to…