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Florida
Florida woman taking case over ‘outrageous’ fines to state Supreme Court after wracking up nearly $200,000 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.
Florida
Rainy stretch continues in South Florida
South Florida is experiencing a prolonged stretch of wet weather as deep tropical moisture combines with a stalled frontal boundary across the region.
The result has been frequent showers, thunderstorms, periods of heavy rainfall, and localized flooding concerns from Broward to Miami-Dade and throughout the Keys.
The atmosphere is loaded with moisture, allowing storms to produce intense downpours in a short amount of time.
Some neighborhoods have already seen several inches of rain, with additional rounds of showers and thunderstorms expected through the end of the week.
Flood-prone streets and poor drainage areas remain especially vulnerable during the heaviest rainfall.
While the rain is helping ease drought conditions, it is also increasing the risk of flash flooding and travel delays.
South Florida is two weeks into its rainy season, when abundant heat and humidity combine to generate daily rounds of showers and thunderstorms.
Heavy rainfall, frequent lightning, and gusty winds are common features of this time of year.
The good news? Drier air will gradually filter into parts of the region heading into the weekend, allowing rain chances to slightly decrease. Until then, keep the umbrella handy and be prepared for sudden tropical downpours.
Florida
Man accused of kidnapping woman at Wawa in Central Florida
NEWS
A man is in custody after deputies said he tried to kidnap a woman at a Wawa near Winter park. Per investigators, Matthew Seaberg approached the victim from behind, picked her up by the waist, and threw her into his truck.
Florida
Jury selection continues in fatal boat crash trial of South Florida real estate mogul George Pino
MIAMI — A new group of prospective jurors was questioned Tuesday in the trial of South Florida real estate mogul George Pino, who is charged in connection with a 2022 boat crash that killed a teenager in Miami-Dade County.
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During jury selection in a Miami-Dade courtroom, Judge Marisa Tinkler Mendez asked potential jurors what they already knew about the case and whether they had recently seen or heard anything about it.
Several prospective jurors said they knew only basic details, including that a fatal boating crash occurred and that a teenage girl died. Others said they recalled media reports that alcohol may have been involved.
As questioning continued, some prospective jurors disclosed connections to schools and communities tied to the case.
Passengers aboard Pino’s boat included his wife, his teenage daughter and 11 of her friends, many of whom attended private schools in Miami-Dade County.
One prospective juror said they graduated from a local private school around the time of the crash and were familiar with some of the students involved.
Another said references to schools and witnesses brought back memories of seeing posts and articles about the incident shared on social media.
A third said their child participates in youth sports with students from schools connected to the case.
Investigators said the boat struck a channel marker while returning from an outing on Biscayne Bay. Seventeen-year-old Lourdes Academy student Lucy Fernandez drowned after the crash.
Tinkler Mendez also addressed concerns that a prospective juror had been viewing a news report about the case on a cellphone while waiting outside the courtroom.
Another prospective juror reported hearing the report but said it was not loud enough for everyone in the area to hear.
Tinkler Mendez reminded prospective jurors to avoid news coverage and social media discussions related to the case as jury selection continues.
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