Connect with us

Florida

Florida woman taking case over ‘outrageous’ fines to state Supreme Court after wracking up nearly $200,000 in penalties

Published

on

Florida woman taking case over ‘outrageous’ fines to state Supreme Court after wracking up nearly 0,000 in penalties


A fed-up Florida homeowner battling a whopping $165,000 in fines for nitpicky property violations — including a cracked driveway and a toppled fence — is dragging her case to the state’s Supreme Court.

Officials in the city of Latana, about 20 minutes south of Palm Beach, even fined Sandy Martinez for how she parked in her driveway. That alone set the single mom back a hefty $100,000 as daily penalties piled up.

Martinez’s parking fines started accumulating in May 2019. When all four family members’ cars were home at her household, sometimes one would end up with two tires on the lawn.

Martinez filed a lawsuit against Lantana, a town of roughly 12,000 residents, in 2021. Institute for Justice

The penalty for that? A whopping $250 a day. 

Advertisement

After the first citation, Martinez tried to arrange a visit with a code-enforcement officer to show she had corrected the violation. But those efforts proved “fruitless” and the daily fines accumulated, she said in a lawsuit she filed in 2021 against the city of Latana and local code enforcement.

“Six-figure fines for parking on your own property are outrageous,” Institute for Justice Attorney Mike Greenberg, the lawyer representing Martinez, said in a news release about the case.

The town’s main beef with Martinez is how her family parked their cars on their own driveway. Institute for Justice

The city also fined Martinez for “minor and purely cosmetic” cracks in her driveway, according to court papers.

Martinez didn’t have enough cash to fix the driveway right away. She was then hit with $75 fines every day for 215 days, for a total of $16,125 — “far greater than the cost of an entirely new driveway,” she said in the litigation.

Then there was the fence.

Advertisement
Martinez and the Institute for Justice are taking the case to Florida’s Supreme Court. Google

A major storm downed it, but resolving the insurance claim to fix it took a while. During that time, Martinez was hit with $125 daily fines for 379 days, totaling $47,375.

Martinez lost when she took her case to court in 2021, with the lower courts ruling against her.

Now she thinks it’s time for Florida’s highest court to weigh in on a constitutional basis — the right to be free from excessive fines and government abuse, protected by the Florida Constitution’s Excessive Fines Clause.

The case epitomizes “taxation by citation,” something small towns, more prone to economic hardship, can sometimes ­rely on for part of their budgets, according to the Institute.

The Institute says municipal code enforcement has become a “cash cow” in Florida, with some towns generating millions of dollars annually.

Advertisement

Local officials did not immediately return a message seeking comment.



Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Florida

Jesuit’s Will Griffin becomes 10th Florida high school QB to throw for 10K yards

Published

on

Jesuit’s Will Griffin becomes 10th Florida high school QB to throw for 10K yards


Jesuit High School senior quarterback Will Griffin always idolized Florida Gator football legend Tim Tebow.

“I look up to him,” Griffin said.

Advertisement

However, it’s Tebow that is now looking up at Griffin, at least when it comes to the high school football record books.

What they’re saying:

“He’s definitely the once in a career type of player,” Jesuit head coach Matt Thompson said. “You don’t really get it that much. Not as a quarterback. I have not had a quarterback be as special as Will.”

Advertisement

In the first game of the 2025 season, Griffin surpassed the 10,000 passing yards career milestone. He is just the 10th player in high school football history in the sunshine state to ever join that club, according to MaxPreps. Tebow finished his career at Nease High School with 9,765 passing yards.

“10,000 was amazing,” Griffin said. “It is really hard to do that. I’ve got to remind myself that I go out here and play for the team. I am not playing for myself or the stats that follows. If you can have a good team around you and a great defense to get you the ball, a great offense that can score, the stats will naturally come.”

Advertisement

The backstory:

It certainly helps he was able to play varsity football as a seventh and eighth grader under Tampa Bay Buccaneers legend Mike Alstott at Northside Christian. Griffin makes it clear; however, he does not deserve all of the credit for hitting this mark.

“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the offensive line,” Griffin said. “If it wasn’t for the receivers catching my passes. If it wasn’t for the running backs running touchdowns to open up the pass. A lot of things go into it.”

Advertisement

READ: State Basketball Championships moving to Jacksonville after decades in Lakeland

A lot of things go into his success, but Jesuit head football coach Matt Thompson says Griffin has a lot of the traits to be successful. 

Advertisement

“He has all of the measurables,” Thompson said. “[He has] the size, the speed, the strength and the arm strength as a quarterback. His football IQ is outstanding. He understands the game. He understands the offense. He understands the defense. He’s a total package.”

The University of Florida was impressed with those abilities and offered him a scholarship. For the kid who grew up watching the Gators on fall Saturdays, it’s a dream come true.

Going to Gainesville

Advertisement

“It’s just home,” Griffin said. “It felt like the right place for me to be. Very excited. I want to get there. I want to help out. I want to contribute. I want to play really badly.”

However, at this moment, Griffin just wants to soak in his last few months as a high school football player. 

“I am trying to enjoy it as much as I can because I know it’s going to end soon,” Griffin said. “I want to make sure I take in every moment.”

Advertisement

That’s because Griffin wants to be remembered not for his stats but for who he is as a person. 

“I want people to remember me more as a leader rather than going to Florida,” Griffin said. “I want it to be more like, ‘He was a leader. He gave everything to the team. He never quit. He never gave up.’”

Advertisement

Griffin will enroll early at Florida. He was the first commit for Billy Napier in the 2026 recruiting class.

The Source: The information in this story was gathered by FOX 13’s Mark Skol, Jr.

High School SportsSportsTampa
Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Florida

Thousands of Northeast Florida students, community members pour out support for Charlie Kirk at vigil

Published

on

Thousands of Northeast Florida students, community members pour out support for Charlie Kirk at vigil


ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – Students and community members from across Northeast Florida gathered Sunday evening at Veterans Park to honor conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was killed last week while speaking at Utah Valley University.

The vigil that brought out thousands was organized by student-led chapters of Turning Point USA, including groups from the University of North Florida, Jacksonville University, Creekside High School and St. Augustine High School.

Northeast Florida students memorialize Charlie Kirk at vigil (WJXT)

VIDEO | ‘He sparked a movement’: News4JAX political analyst discusses political impact of Kirk assassination

Kirk, who co-founded Turning Point, was known for his rallies, debates and outspoken presence on college campuses across the country.

Advertisement

“Somebody that inspired me, somebody who made me want to voice my own opinion and how I feel about things going around in the world and my beliefs,” Abigail Venuto said.

Gov. DeSantis condemns ‘increasing levels of political violence’ after Charlie Kirk shot at campus event in Utah

Students who talked with News4JAX said the event honored Kirk’s legacy.

“We honored his movement,” Jaden Duffey said.

Mourners lit candles and left flowers and handwritten messages at the vigil.

Advertisement
Northeast Florida students memorialize Charlie Kirk at vigil (WJXT)

Duffey, former president of Creekside High School’s Turning Point USA chapter, urged unity.

“We’re in the midst of a political escalation,” he said. “Everybody needs to de-escalate and we’re not alone. We’re unified as Americans and that’s the most important thing.”

Duffey said during his time with Creekside chapter he had the chance to meet Kirk several times over breakfast.

“Someone who has accumulated millions of followers it was just stunning,” Duffey said. “Then you realize that he’s a very humble person inside.”

Northeast Florida students memorialize Charlie Kirk at vigil (WJXT)

Duffey said he was in disbelief when he first heard the news of Kirk’s death. He said there were lots of calls and conversation leading up to Sunday’s vigil.

Advertisement

The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office acknowledged the vigil in a social media post earlier in the day, saying deputies would have a “large law enforcement presence” at the park and surrounding area as a precaution.

“We’ve got to calm down,” Duffey said. “We have to bring back the American way – the first amendment right, allowing people to just disagree with one another no matter how passionate it is but violence is never the option.”

Copyright 2025 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Florida

Where to watch South Florida-Miami college football game today free livestream

Published

on

Where to watch South Florida-Miami college football game today free livestream


The No. 18 South Florida Bulls play against the No. 5 Miami Hurricanes in a college football game today. The matchup is scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. CT on The CW Network. Fans can watch this game for free online by using the free trial offered by DirecTV.

The Bulls enter this matchup with a 2-0 record, and they have already defeated two ranked opponents this season. In their most recent game, the Bulls defeated Florida 18-16.

During the victory, Byrum Brown led the South Florida offense. He completed 23-36 passes for 263 yards and a touchdown, so he will look to perform similarly this afternoon.

Notably, Brown led the team in rushing with 66 yards on the ground.

Advertisement

The Hurricanes also enter this matchup with a 2-0 record, and they are coming off a 45-3 win against Bethune-Cookman.

During the victory, Carson Beck led the Miami offense. He completed 22-24 passes for 267 yards and two touchdowns, which highlights his arm talent.

Beck has thrown for four touchdowns and nearly 500 yards this season, so he will try to continue his offensive success today.

Fans can watch this college football game for free online by using the free trial offered by DirecTV.

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending