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Fla. Attorney General Says Mortgage Money Won't Be Used For State Employee Pay Raises

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi remains adamant that her office, not the legislature should decide how to spend $300 million. The money is Florida’s share of a $25 billion foreclosure settlement with the nation’s five largest mortgage companies. State Representative Michelle Rehwinkle Vasilinda of Tallahassee wants a portion of the money to be spent on state employee pay raises, but Bondi says that’s not going to happen.

“This is a court ordered settlement agreement that I signed. This money is to be used to help consumers in the foreclosure crisis. This money that I signed the settlement agreement for will not be used for pay raises if I have anything to do with it, which I do,”  Bondi told reporters Tuesday when asked about Vasilinda's proposal.

Bondi says she’s close to reaching an agreement with lawmakers on how to use the money. Meanwhile, a national housing advocacy reports less than half the states that got foreclosure settlement dollars, have used the money for its intended purpose.

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Lynn Hatter is a Florida A&M University and Florida State University graduate with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a master's in Professional Communication. Lynn has been with WFSU since 2007 with education and health care issues as her key coverage areas.  She has worked with several organizations, including Kaiser Health News.  Lynn has also partnered with USC-Annenberg's Center for Child Wellbeing on the nationally acclaimed series "Committed," which explored the prevalence of involuntary commitment use on children.
She serves on the board of RTDNA and the United Way of the Big Bend, with previous service on the board of the First Amendment Foundation of Florida.

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