With Americans marking the 518th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ first voyage on Monday, a bit of the spotlight should fall on Florida. Few Floridians are aware of the important part their state played in the epic and tragic tale of the Spanish discovery and conquest of the New World.

Florida homeowners under threat of foreclosure were offered a ray of hope last week by reports that some banks were suspending foreclosure proceedings all over the U.S. due to faulty paperwork.

With Congress abandoning plans to vote on taxes before Election Day, the clock is ticking toward Dec. 31 and the expiration of the Bush tax cuts.

Cathie Dorman is fighting a legal battle to keep the bank from foreclosing on her house in Stuart, and she wants lawmakers to know it.

She joined a group of 30 homeowners and lawyers Wednesday who traveled to the Capitol to remind their lawmakers that homeowners throughout the state are still battling mortgage foreclosures and fraud.

The number of Florida foreclosures fell in April from a year earlier, mirroring a national trend that indicates a slowing of defaults on mortgages, according to data released Thursday by RealtyTrac.

Florida’s foreclosure fell 18 percent from March and was down 25 percent from April 2009. Despite the improvement, the state still posted the second highest number of foreclosures in the nation, with 48,384 properties receiving a foreclosure filing during the month.