Freedom Plastics Inc. has warned the state that it will lay off the remaining 33 workers at its Fort Pierce plant, but company executives are hopeful that new owners can keep the staff on board.

The Janesville, Wis.-based pipe manufacturer recently filed for bankruptcy in Wisconsin and is planning a March 2 auction of its assets in Milwaukee. All three of its plants — in Fort Pierce, Janesville and Preston, Idaho — are part of the sale. (more…)

More and more people on the Treasure Coast and throughout South Florida are turning to federal bankruptcy courts for relief from mounting debts, and that trend is expected to continue for years, experts say.

From Indian River County south, personal and business bankruptcy filings were up about 71 percent last month, compared to November 2007, said Katherine Gould Feldman, clerk of the U.S. Southern District of Florida Bankruptcy Court in Miami. “I think you’ve got people in real need here,” she said. (more…)