Joseph Battaglia
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20 Years of Fire. Celebrating Mozilla Firefox and its Stand for Privacy.
To exist without the freedom of choice is to cease to exist. In an era where our digital footprints are meticulously tracked, analyzed, and exploited, it seems that privacy is very quickly becoming an afterthought, and not the constitutional right that it is. As a lawyer, I understand the importance of protecting sensitive information –…
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Can You Get a Refund of Estoppel Certificate Fees in a Cancelled Florida Real Estate Transaction?
Know Your Rights Under Florida Law When a real estate transaction in Florida falls through, it can be a frustrating and costly experience. One often-overlooked expense is the estoppel certificate fee. These fees, charged by homeowners’ associations (HOAs) to verify information about a property, can be substantial. But what happens to these fees if the…
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Florida Hurricane Victims May Qualify for Property Tax Refunds Thanks to Florida Statutes § 197.319
Hurricane Milton was a devastating blow to our community, leaving many homeowners facing significant property damage and financial hardship. As we approach the 30-day mark since the storm, there’s some good news: property tax relief may be available for those whose homes were rendered uninhabitable. Florida Statute § 197.319 enables some homeowners to receive a…
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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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New Florida Law Aims to Keep Unsuspecting Buyers From Being Flooded by Loopholes
Florida is a state that is prone to flooding. This is due to a number of factors, including the state’s low-lying geography, its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, and its susceptibility to hurricanes. 2024 has definitely been one for the books, but it is likely to be a glimpse of…
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Cancelled Flights? Know Your Refund Rights.
New Federal Regulation: Stronger Protections for Airline Passengers For decades, airline passengers have often felt at the mercy of the airlines when it comes to flight cancellations and disruptions. However, recent years have seen a gradual increase in consumer protections, culminating in the passage of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024. Signed into law by…
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Old School Bankruptcy Exemption Gets a Modern Facelift
A Victory for Florida Debtors. There was a recent change to Florida law that benefits the vast majority of individuals filing for bankruptcy protection in Florida. Specifically, the change in law provides a long-overdue increase to the property exemptions that Florida debtors are able to claim. What’s an Exemption? When facing financial hardship, bankruptcy can…
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Vote, Florida!
The general election is swiftly approaching and 2024 is proving to be another milestone event for our country, potentially shaping our democracy and the path of our country for decades to come. While the focus is always on the presidential race, the lives of anyone reading this will likely be impacted much greater by the…
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Lawyers, Don’t Fear the Reaper
A.I. may be new and scary, but the legal profession should embrace it, not bogeyman it. One of the benefits of being a licensed Florida attorney is that, every month, without fail, I receive a nice, crisp copy of The Florida Bar News. This month was like no other as I recently received the September…
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Yea, BOI.
Deadline to File Initial BOI Report for Entities Created Prior to January 1, 2024 Filing Deadline Approaching for Many Legal Entities If you own or control an entity, such as a limited liability company (“LLC”) or a corporation (but not limited to these), an informational report will need to be filed that, prior to January…