Florida Man Must Pay Nearly $30,000 For Overgrown Grass

A homeowner will have to pay a Florida city nearly $30,000 for overgrown grass on his lawn, according to NBC Miami.

A federal court sided with the city of Dunedin and their decision to issue thousands of dollars of fines to 71-year-old Jim Ficken. The fines started coming in May 2018, and Ficken sued the city when they sought to foreclose on his home to collect their payments, court records show.

Ficken's lawyers argued that Dunedin's fines were excessive and they gave him no notice. The city claims the homeowner is a repeat violator in 2015, and so they started charging him $500 a day for future violations. This includes having grass that grows taller than 10 inches.

The 71-year-old said he was unaware of the fines because he was away from his home to manage his mother's estate in July 2018. Ficken told reporters that the man who usually mowed his lawn died during that time.

"Nearly two months passed before Ficken knew he owed fines," NBC Miami wrote. When the bill arrived it was totaled $29,833.50, the lawsuit said."

Ficken's attorney has called the city's actions "outrageous," and the homeowner said he will exhaust every option to fight back.

“What happened to me is wrong and I will continue to fight,” he said.

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