What inspired you to become a lawyer? In elementary school, I remember a student who was in trouble and he was not doing a good job of telling his side of the story. I decided at that point I wanted to be the voice for others. I wanted to be an advocate for others. I have not wavered.
“Irene,” 80, had decades ago purchased a home for her mother and herself, but when her mother died in 1996, she lost half of the homestead exemption. She missed out on 25 years of the full property tax exemption, because only half of the property was in her name. JALA filed a probate action to transfer her late mother’s 50% interest in the home to Irene so she could claim the full exemption and better protect her modest 150% federal poverty level income.
“Victoria,” 63, had inherited one-sixth of her late mother's homestead property, and most of her five siblings had given their one-sixth share to her. One brother, who had moved to the Philippines years ago, died without a will in 2011 as a citizen of the Philippines. He did not have a spouse or children. His only asset was his one-sixth share of the house in Jacksonville (worth about $11,000), so no probate action was filed in the Philippines.
After Hurricane Irma damaged her Hastings home, “Anita,” 60, who has disabilities, sought help from Restore St. Johns, the county’s hurricane housing recovery program. While Restore St. Johns was willing to repair or rebuild her home, the property had never been probated out of her late mother’s name. JALA, with the help of a pro bono title expert, sorted out the potential heirs and was able to get consent from Anita’s siblings to have the title transferred from their mother’s estate.
“Charles,” a 64-year-old veteran, came to JALA after losing a foreclosure case concerning his late mother’s home, where he had been residing since 2012. He had been making the payments after his mother’s death, but fell behind due to life-threatening health issues. He then fought on his own for seven years to save the home. By the time he came to JALA, a final judgment had already been entered and a sale date scheduled.
Jacksonville Area Legal Aid attorney, Annie Rodriguez, discusses what you can do to ensure you get all of your security deposit returned to you.
Having clear title to one’s home is often crucial to saving it, whether the threat is from potential foreclosure or a natural disaster. That’s because without clear title, the homeowner cannot negotiate with lenders or access federal aid, including disaster relief from FEMA or housing assistance through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Jacksonville Area Legal Aid helps families avoid a potential foreclosure and access federal aid after a loved one passes away by helping them clear title through probate. "Probate is a complex and confusing process for many families," JALA President and CEO Jim Kowalski said. "But it is a crucial step in ensuring that a deceased person's property is properly transferred to their heirs. When families don't understand the importance of probate, they can put themselves at risk of losing their homes."
James Tyer, an attorney with Jacksonville Area Legal Aid, joins us to discuss under what conditions a landlord can terminate a lease and precautions renters can take to avoid evictions.
Trysta Wallace said the mold and plumbing problems in the bathroom of the apartment she rented on the Southside became so disgusting she couldn’t use the toilet or take a shower. “I use the port-a-potty up the street. I pee in a cup and I take a bird bath in the kitchen,” she explained. “It’s in the middle of the night, where can I go? I can’t make it up the street, I would pee myself.” She said she stopped going into the bathroom entirely when the mold started getting really bad. When she reported the problems to the property manager, Wallace said, “They just looked at me and said, ‘I’m sorry.’”
Attorney Jacalyn Crecelius is the new leader of the Veterans Legal Services Unit at Jacksonville Area Legal Aid. The program began in 2019 in connection with the Florida Veterans Legal Helpline funded through the state Department of Veterans Affairs. "My goal is to further develop the unit into one that veterans and those advocating for them know they can trust for honest, strong and compassionate support,” Crecelius said. Before joining JALA, Crecelius practiced family law, security clearance defense and insurance and health care law with Florida Women’s Law Group and The Edmunds Law Firm.
