Three areas in the region — in Polk, Charlotte and Lee counties — are among some of the hardest hit areas nationally in high foreclosure rates.
Lakeland-Winter Haven, Punta Gorda and Cape Coral all ranked among the country’s 10 highest foreclosure-rate metro areas during the first half of 2026, according to a new national report, while Florida reclaimed the highest statewide foreclosure rate in the country.
Data from property analytics firm ATTOM shows the Lakeland-Winter Haven metropolitan area in Polk had the nation’s second-highest foreclosure rate during the first six months of 2026 among metro areas with at least 200,000 residents. Among the country’s larger metropolitan areas with populations exceeding 500,000, Lakeland posted the highest foreclosure rate…