Personal bankruptcy filings jumped 40% last year in South Florida in an annual comparison, according to the US Bankruptcy Court in Miami, totaling 34,579 just in Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties alone!

Although South Florida has ranked high in the amount of bankruptcy filings for 2010, the monthly numbers have been dropping since September. Alongside with these figures is South Floridas' unemployment rate. As of November of 2010, Florida's unemployment was at 12% and South Florida has the highest unemployment of any metro region in the state! However, many bankruptcy lawyers contribute the slowdown in bankruptcy filings at the end of the year to the slowdown of foreclosure filings. When the government stopped foreclosure filings in September due to the allegations of flawed court documents used in repossessing homes.

According to David Langley, a lawyer in the city of Plantation, most of his bankruptcy clients either owned construction and real estate or were in the construction or real estate business; two businesses that once ruled the roost in South Florida.