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* 1. What is your primary role in bankruptcy practice?

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* 2. How long have you been practicing law?

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* 3. Have you ever been involved in a case where the trustee sold and administered funds related to the Debtor’s clothing, shoes, or accessories?

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* 4. Would you support an amendment to the Florida exemption statute for wearing apparel, accessories, and shoes with a limit of $350.00?

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* 5. Should burial plots be exempt in Florida?

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* 6. What is a reasonable exemption for a vehicle?

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* 7. Would you support a firearm exemption limited to one firearm or at a set value?

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* 8. While most states have higher exemption amounts for household goods, furnishings, and appliances which average around $5,000.00, other states instead provide a list of necessities that are exempt, such as one of the following items, clothes washer, clothes dryer, refrigerator, freezer, stove, oven, microwave oven, and sewing machine, located in the debtor’s homestead property for household purposes. Would you support this type of exemption being included in an amendment to the current Florida statute?

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* 9. Would you support an exemption for residential security or utility deposit for where the debtor resides when held by landlord or utility company, and subject to a continuing lease or service?

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* 10. Twenty-eight states have some variation of a jewelry exemption in the range of $500.00 in New Hampshire to $12,500.00 in Texas (average approximately $2,300). Would you support a jewelry exemption being included in an amendment to the current Florida exemption statutes?

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* 11. Should the wildcard exemption of $4,000.00 be available to all Florida debtors/ individuals, not just the individuals who do not own homes (functionally do not receive the benefit of homestead exemption)?

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* 12. What exemptions do you think should be the focus of any change to the exemption statutes whether it be in amount, how it is used, or the language of the exemption?

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* 13. Place in order the importance of the exemptions mentioned in this survey.

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* 14. Do you think an upward adjustment in exemptions available increase or decrease bankruptcy filings? 

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* 15. Do you think an upward adjustment in exemptions available would increase chapter 7 case filings?

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* 16. States like Ohio and New York have inflation adjustments built into their personal property exemption statutes. Would you support a similar adjustment every three years to allow the exemption amounts to stay on pace with inflation?

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* 17. For Debtor attorneys, how often are the available (or unavailable) exemptions the deciding factor in which chapter you advise for a potential client? For example, recommending a chapter 13 because there is no tools of the trade exemption for a self-employed Debtor or the vehicle exemption is too low. 

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