Clearwater Bankruptcy Resources | Legal Help & Factual Resources
Helpful Information for Bankruptcy Filings in
Clearwater — Pinellas 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
Pinellas County bankruptcy cases will be filed with this bankruptcy court:
Sam M. Gibbons United States Courthouse
801 North Florida Avenue
Tampa, Florida 33602
Counties Served: Baker, Bradford, Brevard, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, Columbia, De Soto, Duval, Flagler, Glades, Hamilton, Hardee, Hendry, Hernando, Hillsborough, Lake, Lee, Manatee, Marion, Nassau, Osceola, Orange, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Sarasota, Seminole, St. John’s, Sumter, Suwannee, Union, Volusia
An experienced Clearwater 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 Pinellas County Bankruptcy Attorney for a free initial consultation regarding Chapter 7, Chapter 13, Chapter 11, or Chapter 12.
Clearwater 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 Clearwater Bankruptcy Lawyer will explain the meeting to you and accompany you to the meeting.
The meeting room location is:
51 SW First Avenue, Room 1204
Miami, FL 33130
(305) 536-7285
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 Southern District of Florida are:
Robin R. Weiner
P.O. Box 559007, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33355 -9007
E-mail: trustee@ch13weiner.com
Phone: (954)382-2001-Fax: (954) 382-2299
Nancy N. Herkert
P.O. Box 279806, Miramar, FL 33027
E-mail: nancy@ch13herkert.com
Phone: (954)443-4402-Fax: (954)443-4452
Credit Counseling Services in the Clearwater 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 Clearwater area, these providers have been approved:
Credit Solutions Inc
Suite 104, 13630 58th Street, Clearwater, FL
(727) 532-0811
Credit Care Counseling
18820 Us Highway 19, Clearwater, FL
(727) 507-9197
For other approved providers in the Clearwater area, visit the U.S. Dept. of Justice website.
Credit Reporting Agencies:
Your Clearwater 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):
Gulf Automotive
1945 Sunset Point Road
Clearwater, FL 33765
(727) 239-4515
Arthur Robinson Pre-Owned Autos
Clearwater, FL 33762
(727) 216-2805
Pagano Auto Detail Used Cars
1200 N Myrtle Avenue
Clearwater, FL 33755
(727) 447-7787
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 Clearwater real estate agent, give you a valuation on your property.
Some local Clearwater area realtors include:
Afif (Alberto) Baalbaki Realtor
1545 S Belcher Road
Clearwater, FL 33764
(813) 507-8348
A B C Real Estate
901 N Hercules Avenue
Clearwater, FL 33765
(727) 725-7211
ABC Real Estate & Property Management
1938 N Hercules Avenue Suite 3
Clearwater, FL 33763
(727) 441-9300
Better Homes And Garden Real Estate Services
28901 US Highway 19 N
Clearwater, FL 33761
(727) 787-8811
Pinellas 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 Southwestern Florida, including Bradenton, Brandon, Clearwater, Dunedin, Egypt Lake-Leto, Gibsonton, Gulfport, Indian Rocks Beach, Lake Magdalene, Largo, Oldsmar, Orient Park, Palm Harbor, Palmetto, Pinellas, Sarasota, Seminole, South Highpoint, St. Pete Beach, St. Petersburg, Tampa, Tarpon Springs, Temple Terrace, Town 'N' Country, West and East Lealman, areas in the vicinity of St. Petersburg/Clearwater International Airport, and other communities in Pinellas County.
Contact a Clearwater Bankruptcy Attorney today for a free initial consultation.
Other Legal Bankruptcy Lawyers
If for some unforeseen reason, the Clearwater Bankruptcy Lawyers listed on this site are unable to assist you, please visit the Clearwater Bankruptcy Lawyers listed on HG.org; or the Clearwater Bankruptcy Lawyers listed on GetLegal.com; or the Clearwater Bankruptcy Lawyers on Justia.com