Lakeland Bankruptcy Resources | Legal Help & Factual Resources
Helpful Information for Bankruptcy Filings in
Lakeland — Polk County — Florida
View the Bankruptcy Rules
View the Bankruptcy Code
View the Federal Rules of Evidence
PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records)
If you have previously filed a bankruptcy case in the State of Florida or any other state, you can search PACER to obtain information about your case and download copies of the documents. There might also be other court documents pertinent to your bankruptcy filing that you will be able to locate on PACER.
Anyone can set up a PACER account. There are charges for files accessed and downloaded. www.pacer.gov
U.S. Bankruptcy Courts:
www.uscourts.gov/bankruptcycourts.html
Florida Southern District Bankruptcy Court
Polk County bankruptcy cases will be filed with this bankruptcy court:
Sam M. Gibbons United States Courthouse
801 North Florida Avenue, Tampa, FL 33602
(866) 879-1286
Counties Served: Hardee, Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk and Sarasota.
An experienced Lakeland Bankruptcy Lawyer will know the federal laws governing bankruptcy, but will also be familiar with the Local Bankruptcy Court Rules that are specific to each district, and sometimes specific to individual bankruptcy judges. Contact a Polk County Bankruptcy Attorney for a free initial consultation regarding Chapter 7, Chapter 13, Chapter 11, or Chapter 12.
Lakeland 341 Meeting Room Location
As soon as a bankruptcy case is filed, a date is set for the Meeting of Creditors, also known as the 341 Meeting. This meeting gives creditors the opportunity to question the debtor (you) about monies owed and property owned. An average 341 Meeting lasts about 3 to 4 minutes. Your Lakeland Bankruptcy Lawyer will explain the meeting to you and accompany you to the meeting.
The meeting room location is:
501 East Polk Street
Room 1200, Tampa, FL 33602
(813) 228-2000
U.S. Trustee
Chapter 13 Trustees
When your Chapter 13 bankruptcy case is filed with the Court, a Chapter 13 Trustee will be assigned to your case. The Chapter 13 Trustees for the Middle District of Florida are:
Douglas W. Neway
200 West Forsyth, Suite 1520, Jacksonville, FL 32202
(904) 358-9589
Terry E. Smith
3046 E. College Avenue, Ruskin, FL 33570
E-mail: TampaTrustee@hotmail.com
Phone: (813) 658-1165 - Fax: (813) 658-1166
Jon M. Waage
P.O. Box 25001, Bradenton, FL 34206
E-mail: JWA5@Tampa13.com
(941) 747-4644
Laurie K. Weatherford
P.O. Box 3450, Winter Park, FL 32790
E-mail: lauriew@ch13orl.com
(407) 648-8841
Credit Counseling Services in the Lakeland area:
All individuals (not business entities) are required to complete credit counseling before their bankruptcy case can be filed – for all chapters of bankruptcy, including Chapter 7, Chapter 13, Chapter 12, and Chapter 11. After the case is filed, individuals must complete the second half of the course which is called debt management. View the Federal Trade Commission's brochure with consumer information about credit counseling and debtor education.
Credit counseling services must be approved by the bankruptcy court in order to provide these classes. In the Lakeland area, these providers have been approved:
CredAbility
5421 Beaumont Center, Boulevard 600
Tampa, FL 33634
For other approved providers in the Lakeland area, visit the U.S. Dept. of Justice website.
Credit Reporting Agencies:
Your Lakeland Bankruptcy Attorney may have you sign an authorization form so your credit report can be downloaded directly or you may be asked to obtain your free annual credit report yourself and submit it with your other bankruptcy documentation.
You are entitled to a free annual credit report from the three nationwide credit reporting companies. Don't be tricked by TV ads, email offers, or website banner ads into paying for your credit report. The only authorized source for your free credit report is AnnualCreditReport.com. Visit the Federal Trade Commission's website for more information about your free annual credit report.
Equifax
P.O. Box 740241
Atlanta, GA 30374
1-800-685-1111
http://www.equifax.com
TransUnion
Consumer Disclosure Center
P.O. Box 390
Springfield, PA 19064-0390
1-800-888-4213
http://www.transunion.com
Experian
National Consumer Assistance Center
P.O. Box 949
Allen, FL 75013-0949
1-800-682-7654
http://www.experian.com
Innovis Consumer Assistance
P.O. Box 1358
Columbus, OH 43216-1358
Tax Returns:
You will be required to file copies of your tax returns for the past 2-3 years; submitting them either to the Trustee or the Bankruptcy Court, depending on local bankruptcy rules.
Federal Tax Returns:
For Information on how to obtain a Tax Return Transcript from the Internal Revenue Service, visit the IRS website or call 1-800-908-9946.
State Tax Returns:
You will need to submit state income tax returns if, during the past 2-3 years, you lived in a state that imposes state and/or local income taxes. (There are 43 states in the United States that have a state income tax.) Contact the state's taxing authority if you need to obtain copies of your tax returns from any of these states.
Vehicle Valuations:
You will need a fair and accurate value for any vehicles you own as of the day of filing your bankruptcy case. You can use online sources, but it is sometimes more accurate to get an estimate from a local used car dealer. Local car dealers have a better idea of what someone would actually pay for a vehicle in their city, which is not always the same as the value in the car buying guides.
Online Vehicle Valuations:
NADA - www.NADA.com
Kelly Blue Book - www.kbb.com
Edmunds - www.Edmunds.com
Local Used Car Dealers (for obtaining vehicle valuations):
Yerton Auto Sales
1002 E Main Street
Lakeland, FL 33801
(863) 808-0195
4 N Auto Sales Inc
7726 Us Highway 98
Lakeland, FL 33809
(863) 815-8591
B and G Auto Sales
1233 Banana Road
Lakeland, FL 33810
(863) 815-1053
Appraisals and Valuations for Real Estate (Real Property)
A fair and accurate value for your real property must be listed on your bankruptcy forms (Schedule A). Although some Trustees and Bankruptcy Courts will use the value assigned to your property by your local tax assessor, it is beneficial to have a local expert, such as a Lakeland real estate agent, give you a valuation on your property.
Some local Lakeland area realtors include:
Easy Homes 123 LLC
5337 N Socrum Loop Road
Lakeland, FL 33809
(863) 640-7355
Lambert and Associates
304 Doris Drive
Lakeland, FL 33813
(863) 647-2291
Midflorida Real Estate
2510 S Florida Avenue
Lakeland, FL 33803
(863) 667-0021
Carillon Lakes Property
3901 Carillon Boulevard
Lakeland, FL 33811
(863) 646-8219
Polk County Bankruptcy Law Firms will review your financial situation, provide you with advice on the bankruptcy process, and show you how you can receive debt relief!
Serving clients throughout Central Florida, including Auburndale, Bartow, Combee Settlement, Cypress Gardens, Eagle Lake, Gibsonia, Highland City, Inwood, Kathleen, Lake Alfred, Lakeland, Lakeland, Highlands, Medula, Orangedale, Polk City, Socrum, Wahneta, Winston, Winterhaven, and other communities in Polk County.
Contact a Lakeland Bankruptcy Attorney today for a free initial consultation.
Other Legal Bankruptcy Lawyers
If for some unforeseen reason, the Lakeland Bankruptcy Lawyers listed on this site are unable to assist you, please visit the Lakeland Bankruptcy Lawyers listed on HG.org; or the Lakeland Bankruptcy Lawyers listed on GetLegal.com; or the Lakeland Bankruptcy Lawyers on Justia.com