I started tracking this number because of something a woman said to me at her kitchen table. She told me she felt like the only person in Jacksonville this was happening to.
She was one of hundreds that month. Nobody had told her that either.
I'm Kady. I help Florida homeowners through foreclosure, hardship, inherited property, illness, divorce, and all the other things that show up uninvited. I am proud to say I have helped more people save their homes than sell them.
I update this page every month, because the number matters to people. Not as a statistic. As proof that a hard season in an expensive state is not a personal failing.
287 families. In one county. In one month.
Read that again if you are one of them, because it is the entire point of this page. Whatever you are feeling about your situation right now, several hundred of your neighbours are feeling it at the same time.
What the Number Is and What It Is Not
A filing means a lender has started a lawsuit. It does not mean anybody lost a home.
That distinction matters enormously, and most coverage of foreclosure data blurs it. Florida is a judicial foreclosure state, so a case has to be filed, served, defended or defaulted, and taken to judgment before a sale date exists at all. Plenty of these cases end in a modification, a reinstatement, or a sale by the homeowner before the auction ever happens.
So think of this figure as the number of families who received court papers this month, not the number who lost their houses.
For most of them, the outcome is still open. That is genuinely true, and it is why the timing of what you do next matters so much.
What Is Driving It
This is not 2008 repeating itself. Lending has been tight since 2010, and most of the people I sit down with are not holding some exotic loan they never understood.
What has changed is the cost of keeping a house.
Insurance premiums in Florida have climbed faster than almost anywhere in the country, and for a lot of households that increase lands straight in the escrow portion of the monthly payment. Property taxes followed home values upward after 2020. Condo and association assessments rose after the new inspection and reserve requirements. A mortgage that was comfortable at closing is not comfortable after two escrow recalculations.
Nobody signed anything. The payment just went up.
There is one consequence of that worth understanding. Because this is a cost of ownership squeeze rather than a collapse in home values, a great many Duval homeowners in foreclosure right now have real equity in the house. In the last crisis almost everyone was underwater and selling was not an option for anybody. Today, for most people, it is.
If You Are One of Them
Then the rest of this page is for you, and here is the short version of what actually helps.
If you have been served, find your deadline
You have twenty days from the day you were served to file a written response with the court. Missing it lets the lender ask for a default, which skips the whole case and heads for a sale date. I wrote out how to count it and who to call in the twenty days guide.
Call Jacksonville Area Legal Aid
They represent homeowners facing foreclosure at no cost when you qualify by income, and they are also an approved provider for the city's Foreclosure Intervention Program. One call reaches both the legal help and the local money.
Ask the city about foreclosure intervention funds
The City of Jacksonville offers eligible Duval homeowners up to $12,000 to bring a mortgage current or complete a modification. It is a deferred payment loan rather than a grant, and it is first come and first served, so call early in the year rather than late.
Call your servicer and say the words
I am experiencing a hardship and I would like to apply for loss mitigation. Then ask what documents they need, ask for your single point of contact, and write down the date, the name and a reference number.
Get a written payoff and an honest value
Payoff quote, real as is value, every lien listed, then subtract. That figure tells you whether you are solving a keep the house problem or a leave with something problem. They need completely different plans.
All of that is laid out properly in my guide to foreclosure help in Jacksonville and Duval County, including the two county offices almost nobody calls.
Where This Number Comes From
I want to be open about the method, both so you can trust the figure and so you can check it yourself.
Foreclosure cases in Duval County are public record. They are filed in the Fourth Judicial Circuit and the case information is searchable through the Duval County Clerk of Courts online records portal. Scheduled sales appear at duval.realforeclose.com, and notices of sale are published in the Jacksonville Daily Record.
For this page I count every circuit civil case filed in Duval County under a mortgage foreclosure case type, between the first and last day of the month.
Two honest caveats. Counts can shift slightly as cases are filed late, reclassified or voluntarily dismissed, so treat this as a close measure rather than an audited one. And a filing is a case, not always a separate household, since a single family can appear in more than one action.
If you want to look up your own case, you can. Search the clerk's records by your name or your address, and write down the case number, the division, the judge and any dates already scheduled. Walking into a conversation with legal aid holding a case number instead of a shoebox changes how fast that conversation goes.
The Trend
One month on its own does not tell you much. The direction over several months tells you more.
For the wider picture, ATTOM's first half of 2026 report put the Jacksonville metro area among the ten worst foreclosure rates in the country, at 0.31 percent of housing units. Florida led every state in the nation, with 27,494 properties receiving filings, which works out at one in every 373 homes.
Five of the ten worst metro foreclosure markets in America were in Florida. We are one of them.
"I share this number every month for one reason. Not to frighten anybody, and not because a statistic ever paid a mortgage. I share it because almost every person who calls me believes they are the only one, and that belief is what stops them picking up the phone."
If you are somewhere in this month's number, tell me what is going on and I will help you work out which calls are worth your time. If the answer is legal aid or the county, that is exactly what I will say. Call or text 904-400-2131 or email kady@helpinghandhomesfl.com. Costs nothing, and there is no judgment here.
Behind on payments in Duval County? Let's talk it through.
Tell me what is happening and I will help you understand what is actually available to you, point you toward the free help when that is the right answer, and if selling turns out to be your best move, get you a fair, no obligation cash offer with no pressure and no timeline from your side.
Just Talk to Kady Get My Cash OfferQuestions People Ask Me
How many foreclosures are there in Duval County right now?
There were 287 foreclosure cases filed in Duval County in August 2026. A filing means a lender has started a lawsuit, not that anybody lost a home. Many of these cases end in a modification, a reinstatement, or a sale by the homeowner before any auction happens.
Are foreclosures increasing in Jacksonville?
{{TREND_ANSWER}} For the wider picture, ATTOM's first half of 2026 report placed the Jacksonville metro area among the ten worst foreclosure rates in the country at 0.31 percent of housing units, and Florida led every state with 27,494 properties receiving filings.
Are Duval County foreclosure filings public?
Yes. Foreclosure cases are filed in the Fourth Judicial Circuit and the case information is searchable through the Duval County Clerk of Courts online records portal. Scheduled sales appear at duval.realforeclose.com and notices of sale are published in the Jacksonville Daily Record. You can look up your own case the same way.
Does a foreclosure filing mean the home has been lost?
No. It means a lawsuit has been started. Florida is a judicial foreclosure state, so the case has to be served, litigated or defaulted, and taken to judgment before a sale date exists. The outcome of most of these cases is still open at the point they are counted.
Why are foreclosures rising in Florida?
Mainly the cost of keeping a home rather than the cost of buying one. Insurance premiums have climbed faster in Florida than almost anywhere, property taxes followed values upward after 2020, and condo and association assessments rose after the new inspection and reserve requirements. Much of that lands in the escrow portion of the monthly payment without the homeowner signing anything.
I am one of these filings. What should I do first?
If you have been served, count twenty days from the date of service and treat that as your deadline to file a written response. Then call Jacksonville Area Legal Aid, which is free for homeowners who qualify by income and also handles intake for the city's Foreclosure Intervention Program. Then call your servicer and say that you are experiencing a hardship and would like to apply for loss mitigation.
Can I still sell my house if a case has been filed against me?
Yes. You remain the legal owner until the clerk issues the certificate of title, so you can sell at any point before that. Given how far Jacksonville values moved after 2020, many Duval homeowners in foreclosure have real equity that a sale preserves and an auction does not.
Where to learn more
- Duval County Clerk of Courts, case records and foreclosure information, main line 904-255-2000
- duval.realforeclose.com, where Duval County foreclosure sales are held
- Jacksonville Daily Record, where Duval legal notices and notices of sale are published
- Fourth Judicial Circuit, foreclosure division for Duval, Clay and Nassau counties
- Jacksonville Area Legal Aid, free foreclosure representation for those who qualify
- City of Jacksonville Foreclosure Intervention Program
- HUD approved housing counselors, 800-569-4287, and the HOPE Hotline, 888-995-HOPE
- ATTOM U.S. Foreclosure Market Reports, for state and metro level figures
A gentle note: I am a Florida Realtor and home buyer based in Jacksonville, not an attorney, an accountant, or a housing counselor, and this is general information rather than advice about your situation. Filing counts are compiled from public Duval County Clerk of Courts records and can shift as cases are filed late, reclassified or dismissed, so treat them as a close measure rather than an audited one. A filing is a case rather than always a separate household. This page is updated monthly and figures reflect Florida law and local programs as of the update date shown above.
Written by Kady Andreoli, founder of Helping Hand Home Solutions FL. Jacksonville based Realtor and investor helping Duval County homeowners explore every available option. Guidance without judgment, and people before profit. 904-400-2131 · kady@helpinghandhomesfl.com
Somewhere in this month's number? Talk to Kady.
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