Fla. AG reaches deal over $300 million settlement

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi is signing off on a deal with the GOP-controlled Legislature over $300 million intended to help homeowners.

Bondi said Friday that the arrangement will ensure money is spent helping communities and homeowners hurt by the nation’s foreclosure crisis. The state received more than $300 million as part of a $25 billion national settlement.

But state legislators will still have a say in how the money is spent and who will get it. Additionally, the deal also means that more than $70 million will go into the state’s general budget account.

Legislators have agreed to disburse $60 million this year to help with down payment assistance, foreclosure related legal assistance and assist the state courts deal with a foreclosure backlog.