Scott D. Stamatakis

Scott Stamatakis is a native of Tampa, Florida and practices law in a variety of areas including bankruptcy, foreclosure and collections defense, credit repair, debt settlement, sinkholes, insurance claims, IRS tax debt settlement, real estate, title insurance, business law and asset preservation just to name a few. Scott graduated from Gaither High School which is located in North Tampa on the boundary lines of Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco and Polk Counties in close proximity to Carrollwood Village, Northdale, North Lakes, Lutz, Odessa and Land O Lakes, Florida.  After high school, Scott moved to Tallahassee, Florida and attended Florida State University where, as a Seminole, he earned his Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in criminology, magna cum laude, in 1995 while working part time at the State Attorney’s Office for the Second Judicial Circuit, William N. Meggs, as well as the Department of State, Division of Licensing.  Florida’s 2nd Judicial Circuit is situated in the Federal Northern District of Florida and comprised of Leon, Franklin, Gadsden, Jefferson, Liberty and Wakulla Counties.  Tallahassee is also the capital of Florida and houses the state legislature, the First District Court of Appeals, as well as the Florida Supreme Court and the Florida Bar.

After graduating from FSU, Scott relocated to Gainesville, Florida where he attended the University of Florida’s College of Law which is also known as the Fredric G. Levin College of Law. As a Gator, Scott earned his Juris Doctorate, or ‘law degree’, from UF in 1998.  Gainesville is located in the Eighth Judicial Circuit which is comprised of six counties extending all the way from the Georgia border to the Gulf of Mexico including Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Gilchrist, Levy and Union Counties.  Florida’s Eighth Judicial Circuit is situated in the Federal Middle District of Florida. While attending law school, Scott studied a number of different areas of law including, real estate, bankruptcy, contracts, banking law and torts just to name a few.  Scott also studied international law and the French Civil Code abroad at the University of Montpellier located in France.  It was during this time that Scott also met his first and current law partner, Sami Thalji.

Scott passed the Florida Bar exam and earned his license to practice law in 1999. Scott relocated back to Tampa, Florida and began his legal career with the law firm of Echevarria, McCalla, Raymer, Barrett & Frapier, which is now know as Florida Default Law Group, PL and considered to be one of the largest plaintiff  ‘foreclosure mills’ in the State of Florida. Tampa is located in the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit which is situated in the Federal Middle District of Florida and comprised of Hillsborough County, FL.  Tampa Bay is also located in close proximity to the Sixth Judicial Circuit which is comprised of the cities of Clearwater and St. Petersburg, as well as Pinellas and Pasco Counties. As an attorney for Mike Echevarria, Scott’s practice focused on creditor and debtor work providing legal representation in secured transactions to banks and mortgage lenders in areas such as bankruptcy, mortgage foreclosure, real estate closings and litigation.  Scott was also a title insurance agent for First American Title Insurance Company. As a result of his work with Echevarria and Associates, Scott has been involved thousands of foreclosures, bankruptcies, debt collection law suits and real estate closings. 

After Scott’s stay with the Florida Default Law Group, Scott expanded his legal career with a commercial business law practice and was also an in house attorney for a public company.  During this time, expanded on his legal knowledge by practicing in a number of different legal issues such as business law, franchises, collections, repossessions, replevins, credit cards, credit agreements, wage and bank garnishment, landlord and tenant, sinkholes, insurance disputes and claims, commercial real estate and retail real estate selection and development, land use, zoning and construction.  Scott has also been involved in highly complex litigation and has gained extensive experience litigating numerous consumer based claims, injury claims, insurance claims, HMO and medical claims. While in private practice, Scott has represented many high profile corporate clients including: Bank of America; First Union; Manufacturer’s Trust and Trading Company; Conti, Fairbanks Capital Corporation; Litton Loan Servicing;  Principal Residential Mortgage; Attorneys Title Insurance Fund (the ‘FUND’); Fidelity National Title Insurance Company; Old Republic National Title Insurance Company; WellCare HMO; WellBorn HMO; HealthEdge; Bay Area Primary Care & Associates, Inc.; American Healthcare Holdings, Inc.; Visionary Medical Services, Inc.; Bay Gardens Retirement Village, LLC; Soft-Aid, Inc.; U.S.MD, LLC; Choice Healthcare; WebUnited; MDVIP, Inc.; MedQ, Inc.; Insights Health Network, Inc.; Tequesta Urgent Care; Provider Services of America, Inc.; Florida Medical Association; 2K Medical; and American Medical Software, Inc.

In 2003, Scott decided to begin his own law practice along with his friend and law partner, Sami Thalji, when they decided to use their vast knowledge and experience of the inner-workings of big business and big government to advocate justice on behalf of consumers throughout the State of Florida.  They formed the law offices of STAMATAKIS + THALJI + BONANNO which focuses in the practice areas of:

FORECLOSURE DEFENSE. We firmly believe that our foreclosure defense attorneys are the best in Florida. Together they comprise Florida’s leading foreclosure defense law firm. Our foreclosure defense attorneys have developed a unique foreclosure defense program that provides extremely competent foreclosure defense representation to distressed homeowners at very affordable rates. Our foreclosure defense attorneys not only handle the foreclosure defense, but we also help our clients achieve their ultimate goals, whether that is loan modification, bankruptcy, or short sale. Unlike most fly by night law firms that have recently begun offering watered down foreclosure defense services to consumers, our foreclosure defense attorneys actually defend you in court. Our founding partners used to work as bank foreclosure lawyers before offering our services solely to consumers. Let our foreclosure defense attorneys and staff put our experience to work for you today. For our law firm, foreclosure defense is not the end but only the beginning. Contact our foreclosure defense attorneys today for your FREE Consultation.

BANKRUPTCY. Our bankruptcy attorneys offer affordable and experienced bankruptcy services to Florida Consumers. Bankruptcy provides consumers with their most powerful tool against creditors. When used as a part of a greater, overall strategy to protect your home or assets, Bankruptcy can provide consumers with options they never knew existed. An experienced bankruptcy attorney can help you eliminate your credit card debt, save your home, rid yourself of 2nd and 3rd mortgages, or re-value loans on investment properties to fair market value. An experience and affordable Bankruptcy attorney is a must in today’s economic climate. To learn more about your bankruptcy rights contact our bankruptcy attorneys today for your FREE Consultation.

COLLECTIONS AND CREDIT CARD DEFENSE. Collections and Credit Card Defense are two areas of law at which our firm has a great deal of experience. With the collapse of the economy and he rise of delinquent debt, having an attorney to protect your interests has become vital. We have seen a number of unsavory collection agencies use unethical and sometimes illegal means to attempt to collect debt.  Such activities are illegal and contrary to the rights afforded you under federal and state laws, including the FDCPA. Often times, these agencies purchase delinquent debt for pennies on the dollar and then use any means possible to collect from the debtor (you!). Another scenario that we see is where the first collection agency sells the debt again to another agency, and so on, making it difficult to ascertain whether you actually owe any debt to that company or to any company.

DEBT SETTLEMENT SERVICES.  Debt settlement is often confused with debt consolidation. In debt consolidation, the consumer makes monthly payments to the debt consolidator, who takes a small fee and passes the rest on to the creditors; this way, creditors continue to receive payments each month. In debt settlement, the consumer makes monthly payments, out of which the debt settlement company takes its fees; the remainder is put into a "trust" or "special purpose" account. The creditors get nothing until they decide to settle. Furthermore, the debt settlement company usually instructs the consumer not to make any payments to creditors. The intended effect is to scare creditors into settling the debt for less than the full amount. Typically, however, creditors simply begin collection procedures, which can include filing suit against the consumer in court. As long as consumers continue to make minimum monthly payments, creditors will not negotiate a reduced balance. However, when payments stop, balances continue to grow because of late fees and ongoing interest.  Consumers can arrange their own settlements by using advice found on web sites, hire a lawyer to act for them, or use debt settlement companies. However, some settlement companies may charge a large fee up front; or take a monthly fee from customer bank accounts for their service, possibly reducing the incentive to settle with creditors quickly. Debt settlement, also known as debt arbitration, debt negotiation or credit settlement is an approach to debt reduction in which the debtor and creditor agree on a reduced balance that will be regarded as payment in full.

TAX SETTLEMENT OPTIONS - SETTLE TAX DEBTS.  There are different methods you can pursue if you have tax debt and cannot qualify for a payment plan. The IRS does realize there are certain circumstances where individuals should not be held liable for some of or all of their taxes owed.  When people talk about settling tax debt for pennies on the dollar, this is how it is done. An offer in compromise is not for everyone. The IRS has strict qualifications for accepting people's offers and they do not make the filing easy. The IRS will only accept an offer in compromise if they feel that your offer is equal to or greater than the amount they would ever collect from you, even if they used forced collection mechanisms. Penalty abatement is a way individuals can get the IRS to forgive certain penalties that have been charged on their tax debt. This is a very common method for settling taxes for less than is owed. In fact, about one third of all penalties assessed by the IRS are abated at a later date. A Partial Payment Installment Agreement is similar to a normal Installment Agreement in the sense you are paying the IRS taxes you over a period of time. It is different because you end up paying less than the total amount you owe due to the fact that as the Statue of Collection reaches expiration on each period of your tax debt, a portion of your debt falls off, which you no longer are responsible for. This is why this is considered a form of tax settlement. Innocent spouse relief is only available to those taxpayers that have filed jointly for the year they seek relief. When individuals file a joint tax return, each spouse is equally liable for all tax, penalties and interest that come about from that particular year. The IRS created innocent spouse relief because it realizes that there are times that it would be unfair to hold a spouse liable for the tax liability that was created during the joint filing. Bankruptcy can be considered a form of tax settlement if you qualify for Chapter 7. In some cases, with Chapter 13, tax debts can be forgiven but normally Chapter 13 requires you to pay taxes in full through the use of a payment plan. Bankruptcy is not the best option as your credit will be severely impacted (more than other options) and you may have to liquidate assets. If you would like to settle IRS and/or state taxes a tax relief company can analyze your financial situation and find which tax settlement method would work best for your particular tax situation. There are many different forms of settlements and it is important to get a professional opinion before selecting which one is best for you. 

AUTO ACCIDENT | PERSONAL INJURY. STAMATAKIS + THALJI + BONANNO focus much of our practice in the area of 3rd party insurance claims, such as an auto accident. Simply put, if you are injured thru no fault of your own in an auto accident or other act of negligence our auto accident attorneys will pursue all available claims against all available insurance companies. Auto accident and personal injury claims are contingency fee claims. This means that we do not receive any fees unless our auto accident attorneys make a recovery for you.  If you are injured in an auto accident or personal injury do not attempt to deal with the insurance company on your own.  Contact our auto accident and personal injury attorneys today for your FREE Consultation and learn your legal rights.

SINKHOLES. Our sinkhole attorneys fight for Florida homeowners who have seen their investments damaged at the hands of a sinkhole. Sinkhole claims and foreclosures are becoming more and more relevant amongst homeowners. Too often homeowner’s insurance companies either payoff claims at severely reduced rates or don’t pay them at all. Our sinkhole attorneys fight for your consumer rights. Repairing your home or business and being fully compensated for the damage caused by sinkholes is a top priority. Contact our sinkhole attorneys today for your FREE Consultation and learn your legal rights.

LOAN MODIFICATION. Our foreclosure defense attorneys negotiate loan modifications on behalf of our foreclosure clients while defending any pending foreclosure actions. When considering loan modification, remember that it is illegal for a non-lawyer to charge upfront fees for a loan modification. Also keep in mind, that if you are considering dealing with a ”loan modification” company, most are from California or Miami, they are surely a fraud. Loan modifications can be very difficult and time consuming which is why having an experienced foreclosure defense attorney negotiating on your behalf is a must. The ever changing standards combined with the banks lack of responsiveness have left most consumers out of luck when it comes to lowering their monthly payments. Let our foreclosure defense attorneys go to work for you. Our loan modifications fees are affordable and we will continue to fight for your home until the very end. Contact our foreclosure defense attorneys today for your FREE Consultation.

SHORT SALE REAL ESTATE. Our foreclosure defense attorneys work in conjunction with our affiliated realtors to help our foreclosure clients seeking short sales of their homes or investment properties. Our foreclosure defense attorneys work to ensure that your property is offered to the general public and not investors and that the realtors always seek fair market value.  Our foreclosure defense attorneys negotiate the contract with the bank and help the client understand the consequences of a short sale. Unfortunately, we too often see foreclosure clients rely on the bad advice of realtors. Do not let a realtor alone guide you thru the complicated foreclosure and short sale process. Contact our foreclosure defense attorneys today for your FREE Consultation.

CREDIT REPAIR. Our credit repair attorneys offer an affordable, lawyer based credit repair program to consumers. Now is the time to start the long process known as credit repair. With a slow economic recovery on the horizon, beginning the long journey back to good credit is the right decision. Our credit repair attorneys and staff will analyze your credit report and work with and against the credit bureaus and creditors to do everything in our power to hold them accountable to the requirements of federal law. Our internet based credit repair system makes working with our credit repair attorneys a seamless process. Contact our credit repair attorneys today for more information regarding our affordable attorney based credit repair program.

REAL ESTATE.  Our attorneys at law are devoted full-time to both residential and commercial real estate related matters. Our real estate attorneys have extensive experience in the acquisition and sale of virtually every kind of real property, including office buildings, shopping centers, multifamily housing developments, condominium housing projects, commercial condominiums, industrial properties, hotels, vacant land, golf courses, country clubs and planned unit developments. Our attorneys have assisted clients with acquisition and disposition transactions in all regions of the State of Florida. Development and construction issues are often substantially interrelated, requiring close cooperation and a consistent approach among counsel.  Our law offices provide development and construction services to its clients.

Our lawyers also assist clients in evaluating development opportunities. We provide pre- transaction counseling to structure deals, prepare requests for proposals and analyze responses by developers, financial institutions, tenants and others, and then identify appropriate contract structures and negotiate the agreements.  Our attorneys take a comprehensive approach to construction, beginning at the initial stages of a project. We assist the client to engage an owner's representative and other consultants, with the goal of timely completion of planning, budgeting and scheduling processes. We have extensive experience in negotiating construction management agreements and general contractor agreements. In addition, we regularly assist clients with the selection of an architect and the negotiation of the architect's agreement. We have considerable experience in resolving construction disputes, including claims relating to scheduling and cost of the work, warranty work and construction liens.  Our real estate lawyers have a broad range of experience in leasing and lease-related transactions. We have prepared, on behalf of owners and management companies, space leases in office buildings, ground leases, retail leases and related documents.  Our law offices have significant experience in dealing with distressed real estate and troubled and defaulted loans, including participated loans, loan work-outs, foreclosures, bankruptcies and dispositions of distressed and "REO" properties.

STAMATAKIS + THALJI + BONANNO are Consumer Justice Attorneys and located at 13904 N Dale Mabry Hwy, 301 Tampa, FL 33618, which is in Carrollwood Village in North Tampa.  Carrollwood Village consists of the following residential homes or neighborhoods: Avista; Banbury; Bardmoor Place; Bradcliff; Bryn Mawr; Buckingham; Chardonnay; Chattam; Cloisters; Clubside; Country Club; Cypress Clusters; Cypress Run; Cypress Trace; Diamond Head Fairway Lakes; Fairway Townhouses; Golf Crest; Greenfield Midrises; Hayward Place; Lennox; Links Apartments; Lytton Way; Mid Village; Monaco Garden; Northampton; North Lakes; Northmeadow; Pepperrell; Pinelake Garden Villas; Rolling Green; Somerset Stonegate; Top-of-the-Village; Turner Trace; Twinlakes Village Cove; Village Green; Village Towers Wellington; Whisper Sound; Windemere East; Windemere West and Wolcott. Consultations available in Pensacola, Jacksonville, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Daytona, St. Augistine, Orlando, Kissimmee, Bradenton, Sarasota, Port Charlotte, Ft Myers, and Naples.  

Scott is admitted to Florida Bar and the U.S. District Court, Northern, Southern and Middle Districts of Florida, 2000.  Scott is a published author of Bidding Deposit Requirements, Amendments, USFN, Case and Legislation Review, State Reports, 1999 and The Foreclosure Chronicles, LuLu Press, 2008.  You can reach Scott and the law firm of STAMATAKIS + THALJI + BONANNO by calling 813.282.9330 | 866.479.6946 or by visiting the following internet websites www.MyForeclosureAttorney.com www.CreditStrong.com and www.MyInjury.com