Florida

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

Published

5 months ago

June 7, 2025

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.

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

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 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.

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.

Local officials did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

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Florida

How Florida Can Attack Georgia DB Daylen Everette

Published

17 hours ago

October 30, 2025

Press Room

How Florida Can Attack Georgia DB Daylen Everette

The Florida Gators’ wideouts will line up against one of the most athletic corners in the SEC in Georgia’s Daylen Everette.

UF needs to immediately minimize his impact to win Saturday’s rivalry matchup. With interim coach Billy Gonzales looking to push the Gators towards bowl eligibility, the offense needs to start fast and succeed in the passing game consistently.

Target Him Early

Target him early. While he plays an effective corner, he is not a true lockdown corner to be feared and avoided. In fact, Florida needs to keep up the pressure. Granted, Everette is a tanky corner (6-1, 190 pounds) with good speed, but he possesses many flaws that the Gators need to take advantage of. Somewhere along the way, the Florida wideouts will beat him.

UF just needs to exercise patience.

Double Moves and Rub Routes

Although Everette can run with most wideouts, his speed and explosion reside along a straight line. Under those circumstances, quick cuts and double moves appear to be a winning proposition. Everette fails to adjust in full stride, needing to gather steps to self-correct. A quicker wideout like Eugene Wilson III, who will see many snaps on Saturday in place of the injured Vernell Brown III, and provided he can beat the press, can leave Everette behind for big plays.

Moreover, Everette’s overt agility issue will cost him time attempting to either slide under or veer over pick plays. That lost step could cost the Bulldogs yards.

Missing Tackles

While a willing tackler, Everette’s approach and technique are still unrefined, even for a senior with 48 games of experience.

Without much of an ability to break down in space, his aggressiveness places him in positions that fleet-footed wideouts can stop and turn, while Everette flies by. The Georgia corner is a reacher, throwing his arms at the ball carrier, usually seeing the opponent maintain balance through contact. Florida should run Jadan Baugh in his direction. The senior defender must persevere through the challenge and execute the play.

Bottom Line

Everette is unquestionably the most talented defensive back in Georgia. With his explosion, experience, and drive, he should be a bit further along than he is now.

Gonzales, the wide receivers coach, knows the talent in that position group, as he recruited the majority of them. The offensive line will give DJ Lagway time to throw due to Georgia’s lack of defensive line push. Now, if they can run routes at or around Everett, the rest of the secondary will fall.

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Florida

Florida unveils AI system to predict deadly drug threats before they hit

Published

1 day ago

October 29, 2025

Press Room

Florida unveils AI system to predict deadly drug threats before they hit

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – Florida law-enforcement and public-health leaders on Wednesday unveiled a first-of-its-kind artificial-intelligence system designed to detect and warn communities about new drug threats before they become fatal.

The platform, called DrugAlert.ai was announced at the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office alongside Sheriff Dennis Lemma and Project Overdose CEO Andrae Bailey. The system uses machine-learning to scan statewide drug data in real time, including toxicology screenings, EMS calls, arrest records and street-level intelligence, then issues alerts when dangerous substances emerge.

[WATCH BELOW: Fentanyl awareness taught in Osceola County with community event]

Lemma said the system could change how agencies fight the overdose crisis.

“I’m convinced this will be the model that is used across the country,” Lemma said.

Project Overdose confirmed the system had already generated its first statewide DrugTRAC alert, after carfentanil, one of the most lethal synthetic opioids ever identified, was detected in multiple Florida counties, including Orange and Seminole.

Bailey said the AI platform closes a critical time gap that once left communities blind for months.

“Data we used to work with was six months to a year old,” Bailey said. “The data coming through this system will be no older than 24 hours.”

[WATCH BELOW: New X-ray tech coming to Fla. agricultural stations to help combat illegal immigration, drugs]

Officials warned the technology is launching as Florida enters what researchers are calling the “fourth wave” of the overdose crisis, defined by mixtures of opioids, stimulants and synthetics that change too fast for human tracking.

Lemma said the tool allows police, hospitals and service providers to target resources faster and more precisely.

“Project Overdose has connected the dots like never before, public sector, private sector, the faith community, businesses, everybody is involved,” Lemma said.

Project Overdose confirmed Florida will use the alerts statewide and will issue targeted warnings ahead of large events, including next week’s EDC music festival, where officials anticipate increased drug activity.

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Florida

Lee Named to Jerry West Award Watch List – Florida Gators

Published

2 days ago

October 28, 2025

Press Room

Lee Named to Jerry West Award Watch List – Florida Gators

Florida men’s basketball senior Xaivian Lee has been named to the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Top 20 Preseason List, the Basketball Hall of Fame announced on Tuesday. The West Award is part of the Naismith Starting 5 positional awards.

A two-time first-team All-Ivy League performer at Princeton, Lee transferred to UF this offseason after averaging 16.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.5 assists last season. A Toronto native, Lee has tallied 1,154 points, 406 rebounds, 302 assists and 124 3-point field goals in three career seasons entering 2025-26.

Lee joins backcourt mate Boogie Fland as a preseason Naismith Starting 5 honoree, with Fland named to the Bob Cousy Award watch list on Monday. The West Award has been presented since 2015, and the Gators’ Alijah Martin was on last season’s midseason watch list.

Jerry West Award Preseason Watch List

Brayden Burries	Arizona
Richie Saunders	BYU
Josh Dix	Creighton
Isaiah Evans	Duke
*Xaivian Lee*	*Florida*
Emmanuel Sharp	Houston
Kylan Boswell	Illinois
PJ Haggerty	Kansas State
Otega Oweh	Kentucky
Ryan Conwell	Louisville
Seth Trimble	North Carolina
Anthony Roy	Oklahoma State
Jason Edwards	Providence
Ian Jackson	St. John’s
Solo Ball	UConn
Rodney Rice	USC
Mason Falslev	Utah State
Malik Thomas	Virginia
Wesley Yates III	Washington
John Blackwell	Wisconsin

2025-26 Florida Men’s Basketball Ticket Information
Traditional season tickets are officially SOLD OUT for the upcoming 2025-26 season.

Arena Pass
Arena Passes are officially SOLD OUT for the upcoming 2025-26 season.

Single Games
Single-game tickets for the 2025-26 Florida men’s basketball season are now on sale.

Fans can purchase tickets at FloridaGators.com, by calling the Gator Ticket Office at (352) 375-4683, or in person at Gate 2 on the west side of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

All Gators Weekend Pack
The All Gators Weekend Pack is now available, which includes the Florida men’s basketball game against Merrimack on Friday, November 21, and the Florida football game against Tennessee on Saturday, November 22, for only $149 plus taxes/fees.

All fans attending the Merrimack men’s basketball game will receive a 2025 NCAA National Championship replica ring, presented by Meldon Law.