This is a horror story.
A Florida woman who lives paycheck to paycheck was fined over $100,000 for...parking on her own grass.
A judge ruled that wasn't "excessive." The Florida Supreme Court won't hear her case.
She's not even the first. A thread.
This is Sandy Martinez. She lives in Lantana, Florida, with her sister & two adult children.
Pressed for parking space, the outer wheels of the cars made slight contact with Martinez's yard.
So the government started fining her $250 per *day.* And it only gets worse. /2
After the government notified Martinez of the code violation, she got into compliance and called for an inspector to come verify.
No one ever came.
What she didn’t realize: the government would keep charging her $250. Every single day. For 407 days. /3 reason.com/2026/02/04/a-c…
Martinez didn't realize the government was still fining her—for having parked on her own grass—until the next year when she tried refinancing her home.
"What could I have possibly done for a fine to be that high?" she asked in an email.
The total: $101,750, plus interest. /4
The kicker: That’s not the only ruinous fine the city is demanding.
A storm damaged her fence, which she couldn’t afford to fix right away. Insurance moved slowly. So the city charged her $47,375—more than her yearly income.
For cracks in her driveway? Another $16,125. /5
When Martinez sued, a judge ruled that “the total sum of her fines is not grossly disproportionate to her offense.”
That total: $165,250, plus interest.
The offense: 3 minor code violations.
An appeals court affirmed, and the Florida Supreme Court refused to hear the case. /6
Martinez's story is part of the larger debate over what kind of fine is unconstitutionally "excessive."
Because governments like to use fines to raise revenue.
Just ask Jim Ficken. A local government tried to seize his home. Over tall grass. /7
After Ficken’s mom died, he left town to handle her affairs. His grass grew over 10 inches.
So Dunedin, Florida, fined him nearly $30,000. When he couldn’t pay, it threatened to seize his home.
He settled for $10,000. Over tall grass. What a bargain. /8 reason.com/2024/05/01/flo…
These stories are more common than you’d think. But they often fly under the radar.
People are fined for not fixing minor issues right away—sometimes because they can’t afford to. And then the government may threaten to make them homeless? How does that make sense? /9
As for Martinez, selling her home would not be enough to pay off her debt to the city: over $165,000. Most for parking on her own grass.
Does that sound "grossly disproportionate" to you? /end reason.com/2026/02/04/a-c…
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