Local gov agency worse than hoa, with fines.

[Tom D]

Sandy Martinez, a single mother who has spent several years fighting fines that have now ballooned to $165,000 and counting. Over $100,000 of those fines relate directly to Ms. Martinez parking her cars on her driveway and slightly onto her grass. Her home isn't home to her alone; her son, daughter, and sister all live with her. All four of them have full-time jobs, and each of them has their own car. The house itself is on a corner lot, so street parking isn't available. As such, they line their cars up across the four-car driveway.

Unfortunately, one of the four cars always ends up having to park slightly onto the grass in the yard that Martinez owns. According to the city of Lantana, that's unacceptable, and as a result it has fined her $250 a day for over a year.

For Martinez, options moving forward are extremely limited. CBS News says Florida's Homestead Protection Act shields her from foreclosure, but it's destroyed the equity she'd built up in her home. She can't retry the case in Florida either, and given the Supreme Court's ruling, it's unlikely that a federal court would hear the case.

 

[Mark K]

After the first few tickets you'd think she would have gotten the hint. Guess she thought she was entitled to break the rules. I'm also guessing that there is street parking somewhere near but they didn't want to walk.

No sympathy here.

 

[glenn walker]

Sell one car was the solution and sounds like she's a nut. Even a good attorney would have advised her it wasn't a hill to die on.

 

[Mike Ault]

After the first few tickets you'd think she would have gotten the hint. Guess she thought she was entitled to break the rules. I'm also guessing that there is street parking somewhere near but they didn't want to walk.

No sympathy here.

 

[J Grant]

Sandy Martinez, a single mother who has spent several years fighting fines that have now ballooned to $165,000 and counting. Over $100,000 of those fines relate directly to Ms. Martinez parking her cars on her driveway and slightly onto her grass. Her home isn't home to her alone; her son, daughter, and sister all live with her. All four of them have full-time jobs, and each of them has their own car. The house itself is on a corner lot, so street parking isn't available. As such, they line their cars up across the four-car driveway.

Unfortunately, one of the four cars always ends up having to park slightly onto the grass in the yard that Martinez owns. According to the city of Lantana, that's unacceptable, and as a result it has fined her $250 a day for over a year.

For Martinez, options moving forward are extremely limited. CBS News says Florida's Homestead Protection Act shields her from foreclosure, but it's destroyed the equity she'd built up in her home. She can't retry the case in Florida either, and given the Supreme Court's ruling, it's unlikely that a federal court would hear the case.

oh boo hoo. Nobody told her to squeeze a bunch of relatives into a house meant for one family. Noise, parking etc her neighbors have suffered I can bet.

 

[ucbruin]

"Her home isn't home to her alone; her son, daughter, and sister..."


Sounds as though it is one family living there....

 

[J Grant]

"Her home isn't home to her alone; her son, daughter, and sister..."


Sounds as though it is one family living there....

sounds like a grown son, a grown daughter, and a grown sister if they each own their own cars. The fact is, even if they are related, they had too many cars for the parking, which was their choice.

 

[glenn walker]

sounds like a grown son, a grown daughter, and a grown sister if they each own their own cars. The fact is, even if they are related, they had too many cars for the parking, which was their choice.

I agree in felony flats we often have 5 or 6 cars with two in driveway and 1 or 2 on lawn. It's illegal but code officers are too scared to clean it up and most had 2 to 3 family's per house.

Thank god most fled or are hiding because Ice is getting them and the neighborhood is really looking good.

Another thing is less late night family fights which happen with too many living in cramped quarters and in the garages.

 

[Mark K]

Still no sympathy. The owner knew that they were violating the ordinance every time they parked on the grass but they continued to do it anyway. Are they stupid or did they just think that the rules didn’t apply to them?

Are local town or HOA rules often stupid? Absolutely.
Are the fine excessive? Hell yes.
Does that mean you can just ignore them? Hell no.

 

[Mike Ault]

Still no sympathy. The owner knew that they were violating the ordinance every time they parked on the grass but they continued to do it anyway. Are they stupid or did they just think that the rules didn’t apply to them?

Are local town or HOA rules often stupid? Absolutely.
Are the fine excessive? Hell yes.
Does that mean you can just ignore them? Hell no.

How did you feel about the "cracked driveway" fine? Seems like harassment to me, almost "Boston tea party" worthy.