Florida Man Ordered To Pay Nearly $30,000 Over Tall Grass

A federal judge ruled that a Florida man must pay nearly $30,000 in fines to the city of Dunedin over "high grass" in his yard, according to WFLA on Friday (July 15).

James Ficken has been fighting with the city since 2015 for overgrown grass in his yard, which resulted in him getting fined $500 per day for three months. Reporters say officials started issuing the fines in May 2018 while Ficken was out of state to sell his late mother's home.

By the time he came back, he found out the man he hired to cut his grass unexpectedly passed away, according to the Institute for Justice, a non-profit law firm representing Ficken. As a result, the grass had grown higher than the 10-inch height allowed by city codes, according to the news station.

IJ says a city inspector was coming by his house daily and eventually billed him close to $29,000. Ficken was also labeled a "repeat offender" due to a previous warning in 2015, his attorneys say. When the resident told officials he didn't have the money, they gave him 15 days to deal with the fines or they'd foreclose on his house.

Ficken filed a lawsuit against Dunedin over excessive fines, but an 11th Circuit federal judge ended up ruling in the city's favor. Now Ficken is planning on appealing the decision.

"I’m astounded the court agreed the city could fine me $500 per day, without my knowledge, and then try to take my house—all to settle a bill for tall grass," Ficken said, per WFLA. "The court’s ruling is outrageous. If this can happen to me it can happen to anyone. That just can’t be right, and I’m looking forward to continuing my fight."

IJ previously represented a Florida woman who was facing over $100,000 in fines for parking on part of her lawn.