Florida Town’s $30K Fine for Overgrown Grass Highlights Loss of Lawn Freedom

Spring has finally arrived. It’s time to mow your lawn.

Failure to do so could lead to your local government imposing fines that may reach thousands of dollars daily.

Even worse, if you’re unable to pay these fines, they might seize your home.

Six years ago in Dunedin, Florida, Jim Ficken allowed his grass to grow unchecked.

After his mother passed away, he left town to manage her estate and had asked a friend to maintain the lawn—only for that friend to also pass.

While Ficken was away for two months, his grass grew to over 10 inches tall.

City officials initiated fines against him, but they failed to inform him about it.

Upon returning, he found no notice regarding the $500-a-day fine. He only learned about the massive bill when he encountered a “code enforcement officer.”

When the bill arrived, it totaled $24,454.

Ficken promptly mowed his lawn, but the city then imposed an additional $5,000 fine for “non-compliance.”

With no way to pay that amount, city officials warned that they would seize his home.

Fortunately, Ficken connected with the libertarian law firm, the Institute for Justice, which combats government overreach.

Attorney Ari Bargil took on Ficken’s case, contending that the $30,000 fine contravenes the Constitution’s prohibitions against “excessive bail, fines, and cruel punishments.”

However, a judge concluded that the fine was “not excessive.”

Judges are often just lawyers in robes, and many have grown too accustomed to a big government mindset.

I consider a $30,000 penalty for failing to mow your lawn to be absurdly excessive.

Bargil remarked to local news that if a $30,000 penalty for tall grass in Florida is not deemed excessive, one can only wonder what would be.

Dunedin’s local politicians frequently impose steep fines for minor infractions.

One resident shared, “I was fined $32,000 for a hole the size of a quarter in my stucco… They fine individuals they target… and keep targeting them.”

This issue is prevalent in other places as well.

In Charlotte, NC, a church was fined for “excessive pruning.”

In Danbury, Connecticut, a resident faced a $200,000 fine for a messy yard.

Bargil notes, “It’s evident that code enforcement is a significant source of revenue.”

Over just 5½ years, Dunedin raked in $3.6 million from fines.

However, as this came to light, we began reporting on Dunedin’s outrageous fines.

Did the politicians then concede they had exploited residents with inflated fines and refund the money?

Of course not. They opted to hire a public relations firm.

This move cost taxpayers an additional $25,000 monthly.

Politicians primarily look out for their own interests.

After the Institute for Justice filed a second lawsuit, Dunedin agreed to reduce Ficken’s fine: he could now pay $10,000.

This amount is still excessive, but Ficken consented.

As Bargil explains, “Our Founders understood that the capacity to fine is the capacity to cripple. It’s a means, alongside incarceration, through which the government can truly oppress.”

The government continuously engages in oppression. For six arduous years, Dunedin’s officials oppressed Jim Ficken.

John Stossel is the author of “Give Me a Break: How I Exposed Hucksters, Cheats, and Scam Artists and Became the Scourge of the Liberal Media.”