Lantana, Florida — A Florida homeowner is facing more than $165,000 in fines and interest for three minor code violations, a penalty upheld by state courts and left untouched by the Florida Supreme Court late last year. Sandy Martinez, who earns less than $43,000 annually, says the fines are so large that selling her home would still not cover the debt.
Most of the penalty stems from a parking violation. Martinez shares her home with family members, and with limited street parking available, cars occasionally extended onto her yard, violating local code. Although she brought the property into compliance in 2019, fines of $250 per day continued to accrue for more than a year due to delays in follow-up inspections. By the time an inspector confirmed compliance in mid-2020, the parking-related fine exceeded $100,000.
Additional penalties were imposed for a storm-damaged fence and cosmetic driveway cracks—issues Martinez says she could not immediately afford to repair. Those violations added roughly $63,000 more in fines. Courts ruled that the penalties were not “grossly disproportionate,” emphasizing deference to legislative authority and noting that Martinez did not challenge the fines within statutory deadlines.
Florida’s homestead exemption prevents immediate foreclosure, but the lien remains attached to the property, meaning the debt could ultimately be collected from her estate. The case has fueled renewed debate over whether aggressive municipal code enforcement crosses constitutional limits on excessive fines.
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