Order to show cause; entry of final judgment of foreclosure; payment during foreclosure.

(1) A lienholder may request an order to show cause for the entry of final judgment in a foreclosure action. For purposes of this section, the term “lienholder” includes the plaintiff and a defendant to the action who holds a lien encumbering the property or a defendant who, by virtue of its status as a condominium association, cooperative association, or property owners’ association, may file a lien against the real property subject to foreclosure. Upon filing, the court shall immediately review the request and the court file in chambers and without a hearing. If, upon examination of the court file, the court finds that the complaint is verified, complies with s. 702.015, and alleges a cause of action to foreclose on real property, the court shall promptly issue an order directed to the other parties named in the action to show cause why a final judgment of foreclosure should not be entered.

(a) The order shall:

1. Set the date and time for a hearing to show cause. The date for the hearing may not occur sooner than the later of 20 days after service of the order to show cause or 45 days after service of the initial complaint. When service is obtained by publication, the date for the hearing may not be set sooner than 30 days after the first publication.

2. Direct the time within which service of the order to show cause and the complaint must be made upon the defendant.

3. State that the filing of defenses by a motion, a responsive pleading, an affidavit, or other papers before the hearing to show cause that raise a genuine issue of material fact which would preclude the entry of summary judgment or otherwise constitute a legal defense to foreclosure shall constitute cause for the court not to enter final judgment.

4. State that a defendant has the right to file affidavits or other papers before the time of the hearing to show cause and may appear personally or by way of an attorney at the hearing.

5. State that, if a defendant files defenses by a motion, a verified or sworn answer, affidavits, or other papers or appears personally or by way of an attorney at the time of the hearing, the hearing time will be used to hear and consider whether the defendant’s motion, answer, affidavits, other papers, and other evidence and argument as may be presented by the defendant or the defendant’s attorney raise a genuine issue of material fact which would preclude the entry of summary judgment or otherwise constitute a legal defense to foreclosure. The order shall also state that the court may enter an order of final judgment of foreclosure at the hearing and order the clerk of the court to conduct a foreclosure sale.

6. State that, if a defendant fails to appear at the hearing to show cause or fails to file defenses by a motion or by a verified or sworn answer or files an answer not contesting the foreclosure, such defendant may be considered to have waived the right to a hearing, and in such case, the court may enter a default against such defendant and, if appropriate, a final judgment of foreclosure ordering the clerk of the court to conduct a foreclosure sale.

7. State that if the mortgage provides for reasonable attorney fees and the requested attorney fees do not exceed 3 percent of the principal amount owed at the time of filing the complaint, it is unnecessary for the court to hold a hearing or adjudge the requested attorney fees to be reasonable.

8. Attach the form of the proposed final judgment of foreclosure which the movant requests the court to enter at the hearing on the order to show cause.

9. Require the party seeking final judgment to serve a copy of the order to show cause on the other parties in the following manner:

a. If a party has been served pursuant to chapter 48 with the complaint and original process, or the other party is the plaintiff in the action, service of the order to show cause on that party may be made in the manner provided in the Florida Rules of Civil Procedure.

b. If a defendant has not been served pursuant to chapter 48 with the complaint and original process, the order to show cause, together with the summons and a copy of the complaint, shall be served on the party in the same manner as provided by law for original process.

Any final judgment of foreclosure entered under this subsection is for in rem relief only. This subsection does not preclude the entry of a deficiency judgment where otherwise allowed by law. The Legislature intends that this alternative procedure may run simultaneously with other court procedures.

(b) The right to be heard at the hearing to show cause is waived if a defendant, after being served as provided by law with an order to show cause, engages in conduct that clearly shows that the defendant has relinquished the right to be heard on that order. The defendant’s failure to file defenses by a motion or by a sworn or verified answer, affidavits, or other papers or to appear personally or by way of an attorney at the hearing duly scheduled on the order to show cause presumptively constitutes conduct that clearly shows that the defendant has relinquished the right to be heard. If a defendant files defenses by a motion, a verified answer, affidavits, or other papers or presents evidence at or before the hearing which raise a genuine issue of material fact which would preclude entry of summary judgment or otherwise constitute a legal defense to foreclosure, such action constitutes cause and precludes the entry of a final judgment at the hearing to show cause.

(c) In a mortgage foreclosure proceeding, when a final judgment of foreclosure has been entered against the mortgagor and the note or mortgage provides for the award of reasonable attorney fees, it is unnecessary for the court to hold a hearing or adjudge the requested attorney fees to be reasonable if the fees do not exceed 3 percent of the principal amount owed on the note or mortgage at the time of filing, even if the note or mortgage does not specify the percentage of the original amount that would be paid as liquidated damages.

(d) If the court finds that all defendants have waived the right to be heard as provided in paragraph (b), the court shall promptly enter a final judgment of foreclosure without the need for further hearing if the plaintiff has shown entitlement to a final judgment and upon the filing with the court of the original note, satisfaction of the conditions for establishment of a lost note, or upon a showing to the court that the obligation to be foreclosed is not evidenced by a promissory note or other negotiable instrument. If the court finds that a defendant has not waived the right to be heard on the order to show cause, the court shall determine whether there is cause not to enter a final judgment of foreclosure. If the court finds that the defendant has not shown cause, the court shall promptly enter a judgment of foreclosure. If the time allotted for the hearing is insufficient, the court may announce at the hearing a date and time for the continued hearing. Only the parties who appear, individually or through an attorney, at the initial hearing must be notified of the date and time of the continued hearing.

(2) Except as provided in paragraph (i), in any action for foreclosure, in addition to any other relief that the court may award, the plaintiff may request that the court enter an order directing the mortgagor defendant to show cause why an order to make payments during the pendency of the foreclosure proceedings or an order to vacate the premises should not be entered.

(a) The order shall:

1. Set the date and time for hearing on the order to show cause. However, the date for the hearing may not be set sooner than 20 days after the service of the order. If service is obtained by publication, the date for the hearing may not be set sooner than 30 days after the first publication.

2. Direct the time within which service of the order to show cause and the complaint shall be made upon each defendant.

3. State that a defendant has the right to file affidavits or other papers at the time of the hearing and may appear personally or by way of an attorney at the hearing.

4. State that, if a defendant fails to appear at the hearing to show cause and fails to file defenses by a motion or by a verified or sworn answer, the defendant is deemed to have waived the right to a hearing and in such case the court may enter an order to make payment or vacate the premises.

5. Require the movant to serve a copy of the order to show cause on the defendant in the following manner:

a. If a defendant has been served with the complaint and original process, service of the order may be made in the manner provided in the Florida Rules of Civil Procedure.

b. If a defendant has not been served with the complaint and original process, the order to show cause, together with the summons and a copy of the complaint, shall be served on the defendant in the same manner as provided by law for original process.

(b) The right of a defendant to be heard at the hearing to show cause is waived if the defendant, after being served as provided by law with an order to show cause, engages in conduct that clearly shows that the defendant has relinquished the right to be heard on that order. A defendant’s failure to file defenses by a motion or by a sworn or verified answer or to appear at the hearing duly scheduled on the order to show cause presumptively constitutes conduct that clearly shows that the defendant has relinquished the right to be heard.

(c) If the court finds that a defendant has waived the right to be heard as provided in paragraph (b), the court may promptly enter an order requiring payment in the amount provided in paragraph (f) or an order to vacate.

(d) If the court finds that the mortgagor has not waived the right to be heard on the order to show cause, the court shall, at the hearing on the order to show cause, consider the affidavits and other showings made by the parties appearing and make a determination of the probable validity of the underlying claim alleged against the mortgagor and the mortgagor’s defenses. If the court determines that the plaintiff is likely to prevail in the foreclosure action, the court shall enter an order requiring the mortgagor to make the payment described in paragraph (e) to the plaintiff and provide for a remedy as described in paragraph (f). However, the order shall be stayed pending final adjudication of the claims of the parties if the mortgagor files with the court a written undertaking executed by a surety approved by the court in an amount equal to the unpaid balance of the lien being foreclosed, including all principal, interest, unpaid taxes, and insurance premiums paid by the plaintiff.

(e) If the court enters an order requiring the mortgagor to make payments to the plaintiff, payments shall be payable at such intervals and in such amounts provided for in the mortgage instrument before acceleration or maturity. The obligation to make payments pursuant to any order entered under this subsection shall commence from the date of the motion filed under this section. The order shall be served upon the mortgagor no later than 20 days before the date specified for the first payment. The order may permit, but may not require, the plaintiff to take all appropriate steps to secure the premises during the pendency of the foreclosure action.

(f) If the court enters an order requiring payments, the order shall also provide that the plaintiff is entitled to possession of the premises upon the failure of the mortgagor to make the payment required in the order unless at the hearing on the order to show cause the court finds good cause to order some other method of enforcement of its order.

(g) All amounts paid pursuant to this section shall be credited against the mortgage obligation in accordance with the terms of the loan documents; however, payments made under this section do not constitute a cure of any default or a waiver or any other defense to the mortgage foreclosure action.

(h) Upon the filing of an affidavit with the clerk that the premises have not been vacated pursuant to the court order, the clerk shall issue to the sheriff a writ for possession which shall be governed by s. 83.62.

(i) This subsection does not apply to foreclosure of an owner-occupied residence. For purposes of this paragraph, there is a rebuttable presumption that a residential property for which a homestead exemption for taxation was granted according to the certified rolls of the latest assessment by the county property appraiser, before the filing of the foreclosure action, is an owner-occupied residential property.

(j) For purposes of this subsection, the term “mortgagor” means a person who grants a mortgage or a successor in ownership of the real property described in the mortgage. The term does not include a homeowners’ association or an association, as those terms are defined in s. 720.301, or a corporation regulated under chapter 718 or chapter 719, that:

1. Acquires title to a parcel or unit through the foreclosure of its claim of lien, or a deed in lieu of foreclosure, provided that title remains vested in the association or corporation and any rents collected are applied to assessments that are then due; or

2. Collects rents from the tenants in the parcel or unit pursuant to s. 718.116(11), s. 719.108(10), or s. 720.3085(8).