The Government Threatened To Seize His Home Over Tall Grass
It’s finally spring.
Better mow your lawn.
If you don’t, your town government may fine you thousands of dollars a day.
Worse, if you can’t pay the fine, they may confiscate your home.
Six years ago, in Dunedin, Florida, Jim Ficken let his grass grow.
His mom had died, and he’d left town to take care of her estate. He asked a friend to cut his grass, but that friend died, too!
In the two months Ficken was away, his grass grew taller than 10 inches.
City bureaucrats started fining him.
But they didn’t tell Ficken that. When he finally got back, there was no notice of the $500-a-day fine. Only when he ran into a “code enforcement officer” did he learn he’d be getting “a big bill.”
When the bill came, it was for $24,454.
Ficken quickly mowed his lawn. Then the city tacked on another $5,000 for “non-compliance.”
Ficken didn’t have that much money, so city officials told him they would take his home.
Fortunately, Ficken discovered the libertarian law firm, the Institute for Justice (I.J.), which fights government abuse.
I.J. lawyer Ari Bargil took on Ficken’s case, a
Article from Reason.com
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