Bankruptcies nearly doubled in Orlando area

Passing through the Orlando airport, the headline of the Orlando Sentinel caught my eye "Personal bankruptcies jump 96% in Metro Orlando." That's almost double. The economy of Florida is clearly tanking. And, they've got two Bushes to thank, George and Jeb. We'll see if Floridians stick with Republicans again this year after all the economic damage wrought. And, they can thank Bush and the GOPers for the new bankruptcy law that screws people while enriching the industries that brought about the fiscal crisis. More after the break.

The economic downturn seems to be affecting a wide swath Floridians -- across the economic spectrum:

Amid the growing mortgage-debt crisis, personal bankruptcies nearly doubled in Metro Orlando last year, although they remained far lower than the record levels earlier this decade, according to court figures released this week.

Nearly 7,060 debtors declared insolvency in Orlando's federal bankruptcy court in 2007, up 96 percent from 2006, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Florida reported.

Fueled by the mortgage crisis, personal bankruptcy is reaching all levels of the income spectrum -- from affluent professionals to lower-income subprime borrowers, bankruptcy lawyers said.