Attorney General Pam Bondi is adamant that there is no feud between her and legislators over Floridas share of a national mortgage servicing settlement.
But the two sides dont appear to be budging over how the money, totaling around $334 million, should be spent.
Bondi, addressing the media following the Florida Cabinet meeting in the Capitol on Tuesday, disagreed with any contention that she and legislators are fighting over the settlement.
And she remained firm that the extraordinary amount of money, now in an escrowed account, goes to homeowners rather than to help fill any spending gaps that lawmakers may face in 2013.
A House spokesman said Tuesday the turf war is mostly between the attorney general and the Senate, where the options for the attorney general are the legislative budget committee agenda later this summer or by putting the matter through appropriations in the next session.
Sen. J.D. Alexander, R-Lakes Wales, the Senate budget chief whose term expires this year, told the Associated Press on Monday that the spending must be authorized by the Legislature.
Earlier this year, Bondi asked the public for input on how best to distribute the money.The deadline for suggestions expired in May, but since then there has been no action on how to use the money.
Bondi said she is willing to work with legislators, but that the final decision remains with her office.
Im committed to working with the Legislature to ensure that these funds go exactly where they should, Bondi said. But there is no feud."
Bondi argued that the court order gave her the authority to distribute that money, as the cash shouldnt be considered a tax appropriation but a settlement agreement.
The reason its taking so long is, I want to be sure it goes to where it should, Bondi said.
The money was part of $25 billion that state attorneys general negotiated with the countrys five largest loan servicers: Ally/GMAC, Bank of America, Citi, JPMorgan Chase, and Wells Fargo.
Its going to protect homeowners. Its my name on that agreement, Bondi said.
According to the settlement, state and federal investigations found that the five loan servicers routinely signed foreclosure-related documents outside the presence of a notary public and without really knowing whether the facts they contained were correct.
Part of the settlement went to Florida borrowers who lost their homes to foreclosure between Jan. 1, 2008 and Dec. 31, 2011.
The settlement agreement, announced in February, lists permissible uses of the settlement funds, including: housing counselors, state and local foreclosure assistance hotlines, state and local foreclosure mediation programs, legal assistance, housing remediation and anti-blight projects, and training and staffing of financial fraud or consumer protection enforcement efforts.
Reach Jim Turner at jturner@sunshinestatenews.com or at (772) 215-9889.
