Facing foreclosure in Miami? Florida is a judicial foreclosure state — Miami-Dade County foreclosure cases are generally handled in the Eleventh Judicial Circuit. If you are personally served with a Summons & Complaint, you generally have 20 calendar days to file a written Answer. That clock starts the moment the process server hands you papers — not when you open them. Other methods of service may involve different deadlines. We prepare comprehensive Answers, Motions to Dismiss, Affirmative Defenses, Counterclaims, and all court-ready documents to help Miami homeowners fight back before the deadline expires.
Miami-Dade Circuit Court
73 W Flagler St, Miami — 11th Judicial Circuit
20-Day Deadline
From date of service — not receipt
Juan Fernandez-Barquin
Miami-Dade Clerk of the Courts & Comptroller
Pro Se Document Prep
Prepared for Miami-Dade County filing
Rush response within 24 hours
Florida foreclosures are exclusively judicial — every case runs through the courts. In Miami-Dade County, cases are heard in the Eleventh Judicial Circuit, with dockets maintained by the Miami-Dade Clerk of the Courts & Comptroller. If you are personally served, you generally have 20 calendar days to respond — not business days, and not from when you open the envelope. Used strategically, the judicial process buys you 6-12 months to build a defense, raise affirmative defenses, and force the lender to prove its standing.
20 days
to answer if personally served
11th
Judicial Circuit handles Miami cases
6–12 mo
typical process — time to build defenses
∞
unlimited homestead equity protection
Lis Pendens — Miami-Dade Clerk of the Courts & Comptroller
A public notice recorded in the county's official records. The Miami-Dade Clerk of the Courts & Comptroller maintains both the case docket and official records. This is often the first indication of the lawsuit — you may see it appear on public records before you receive formal service.
Summons & Complaint Served in Miami
Service may occur at your residence or through other legally permitted methods. If personally served, the 20-calendar-day clock starts from the date of service. Weekends and holidays count — do not wait.
File Answer at Miami-Dade Circuit Court
File your Answer, Affirmative Defenses, and Counterclaims with the Miami-Dade Circuit Court. Filing methods may include electronic or clerk-authorized procedures in addition to in-person filing at 73 W Flagler St, Miami, FL 33130. You must admit/deny each numbered allegation, raise affirmative defenses, and assert counterclaims. We prepare all documents — you file them with the court.
If personally served, generally 20 calendar days to respond. File your Answer with the Miami-Dade Circuit Court. Other service methods may involve different deadlines.
Every Miami-Dade case is different, but the most effective defenses follow a proven playbook that forces the lender to prove its case and builds settlement leverage along the way.
Demand the lender prove it actually holds your note and that every mortgage assignment is valid. Gaps, robo-signing, or backdated assignments can defeat the entire case.
Florida's five-year limitation period can bar an acceleration if payments were missed too long ago. Whether it applies depends on the facts — but it's a powerful defense to test.
Escrow errors, dual tracking, and improper loss mitigation handling are common in Miami cases. These add counterclaims and strengthen your negotiating position.
Deposition of the loan files witness exposes whether the documents were properly created, signed, and assigned — and whether the plaintiff can actually prove its case at trial.
Leverage your homestead protection, and use the discovery process to pressure the lender toward a workable loan modification rather than a loss.
Our Approach: We prepare court-ready documents so you can file as a pro se litigant and keep control — at a fraction of the cost of hiring a Miami foreclosure attorney. Free consultation at 888-525-4335.
If you have been personally served with a foreclosure summons and complaint, you generally have 20 calendar days after service to respond. Seeing a Lis Pendens in the public record does not itself start that response period, and other methods of service may involve different deadlines. We prepare every document you need to file in Miami-Dade Circuit Court. Free consultation. No obligation.