Courts Refuse To Protect Property Owners From Insane Fines

Courts Refuse To Protect Property Owners From Insane Fines

From Beyond the Brief by Institue for Justice

March 12, 2026 · 37 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the harsh fines imposed on property owners in Florida and the legal battles surrounding them.

In Florida, if a town doesn’t like what you do with your lawn, you could face bankruptcy. Sandy Martinez is stuck with $165,000 in fines for completely harmless code violations, most of it for occasionally parking a car a little bit over her driveway and onto the grass. Jim Ficken faced foreclosure of his home because his grass grew too long while he was out of town.  Today we are joined by IJ attorneys Andrew Ward and Mike Greenberg. We’re discussing Florida’s devastating daily-accruing fine system, how courts have refused to stop these abuses, and how IJ is fighting back.  https://youtu.be/cnSW-AcP6_Q Become a Monthly Donor Are you looking for a rewarding and consistent way to support IJ’s work?  Become a member of our Merry Band of Monthly Donors and stand shoulder to shoulder with our clients every month of the year. Donate now

People in this episode

Guests: Andrew Ward, Mike Greenberg

Topics covered

  • property rights
  • fines
  • legal system
  • Florida
  • code violations
  • court abuses

Keywords

  • property owners
  • fines
  • Florida
  • code violations
  • bankruptcy
  • foreclosure
  • legal fight

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Institute for Justice

Places: Florida

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