Zenaida “Sandy” Martinez of Lantana faces more than $165,000 in municipal fines — about $100,000 for parking with two tires on her lawn and over $60,000 for two minor cosmetic violations. The town assessed $250 per day for 407 days; the Institute for Justice argues the cumulative penalties violate Florida’s Excessive Fines Clause. After a lower court rejected her challenge, the Florida Supreme Court declined to review the case on Dec. 22, leaving the judgment in place. IJ says homestead protections prevent immediate foreclosure but the fines have severely eroded Martinez’s home equity.
Florida Homeowner Faces Six-Figure Bill After Parking With Two Tires On Lawn; State Supreme Court Declines Appeal
Institute for JusticeSandy Martinez at her Lantana, Fla. home
A Florida homeowner, Zenaida “Sandy” Martinez of Lantana, now faces more than $165,000 in municipal fines after local code-enforcement actions tied to parking and minor cosmetic issues on her property. The Florida Supreme Court declined to review her appeal on Dec. 22, leaving a lower-court judgment in place.
Martinez filed a complaint in February 2021, according to circuit court records obtained by PEOPLE. The filings say the town assessed roughly $100,000 in fines for instances when two tires of a vehicle were on the lawn and more than $60,000 for two separate cosmetic violations, producing a combined total in excess of $165,000.
According to the Institute for Justice (IJ), a public-interest law firm representing Martinez pro bono, the town of Lantana fined her $250 per day for 407 consecutive days for the parking condition — a practice IJ says amounts to “six-figure” penalties for a very minor infraction. (By statute, Chapter 162 of the Florida Statutes permits municipalities to levy up to $250 per day for certain code-enforcement violations.)
Institute for JusticeSandy Martinez stands in the driveway of her Lantana, Fla. home.
“Six-figure fines for parking on your own property are shocking. The Florida Constitution’s Excessive Fines Clause was designed to stop precisely this sort of abuse — to prevent people from being fined into poverty for trivial violations,” said IJ senior attorney Ari Bargil.
IJ argued in court that Lantana’s cumulative fines — which far exceed what most residents earn in a year — violate the Excessive Fines Clause of the Florida Constitution. After a lower court rejected Martinez’s challenge, she sought review by the Florida Supreme Court in May 2025; the high court declined to take the case on Dec. 22, leaving the lower-court ruling intact.
Martinez said the decision is “outrageous” and warned that allowing municipalities to impose draconian fines for minor infractions can ruin lives. IJ notes that Florida’s homestead exemption prevents immediate foreclosure on Martinez’s house, but the firm says the fines have effectively stripped much of her home equity and made it nearly impossible for her to sell or move.
A representative for the Town of Lantana did not immediately respond to requests for comment from PEOPLE. The case highlights ongoing tensions between local code enforcement practices and constitutional limits on punitive municipal penalties.
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