Florida homeowners facing foreclosure may soon get one last chance to work out a deal with lenders trying to repossess their homes, thanks to the Florida Supreme Court.

The Court has issued an order that requires a third-party to mediate all new foreclosure lawsuits against primary residences. The program is similar to one that is already in effect in the First Judicial Circuit that includes the Pensacola-Milton-Fort Walton Beach region.

The goal is to help get a handle on the state’s avalanche of foreclosures. It’s estimated that 456,000 foreclosure cases are clogging the state court system. Florida has the third-highest mortgage delinquency rate in the nation.

The mediation forces lenders and borrowers to talk to each other but there is no guarantee that a foreclosure can be avoided. Lenders have spoken out against mandatory mediation and said it would cause even more delays.

The program sends all cases involving foreclosure of a person’s home to mediation unless both parties agree to opt out. The program does not apply to cases already in the court pipeline.