The city of Dunedin fined Jim Ficken, 69, $500 a day, racking up $30,000 in code violation fines for tall grass when his lawn grew taller than 10-inches last summer. The city is now foreclosing on his home, The Tampa Bay Times reports.
Ficken was away for much of the summer in South Carolina managing his mother’s estate after her death. Ficken paid a man to mow the lawn while he was gone but he unexpectedly died.
Ficken filed a lawsuit against the city seeking a nominal $1 in damages, relief from fines and an end to the city’s practice of fining people without considering ability to pay.
The Institute for Justice is taking on Ficken's case pro bono.
“Nobody should lose their house for having tall grass,” lead attorney Ari Bargi told the Times.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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