• [ network ]
  • goatmatrix.net
  • gvid.tv
  • img.gvid.tv
  • games.gvid.tv
  • apps.gvid.tv
HomeUploadUpload DirectHotlinkRandomAbouttheme toggle
Expand

Stossel: Mow Your Lawn or Lose Your House!

Views:966
@ReasonVids

Florida man may lose home because he didn’t cut his grass.

---------
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://youtube.com/reasontv
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Reason.Magaz...
Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/reason
Subscribe to our podcast at iTunes: https://goo.gl/az3a7a

Reason is the planet's leading source of news, politics, and culture from a libertarian perspective. Go to reason.com for a point of view you won't get from legacy media and old left-right opinion magazines.
---------

Jim Ficken left his home to take care of his recently deceased mother's estate. While away, the man he paid to cut his lawn died. The grass in Ficken's yard grew more than 10 inches long.

The City of Dunedin has an ordinance against long grass. The Florida city fined Ficken $500 a day. Over time the fines added up to almost $30,000.

"I was shocked," Ficken tells John Stossel, "It was just amazing that they would fine me that much."

Ficken doesn't have $30,000, and now the city wants to foreclose on his home.

Ficken's lawyer, Ari Bargil of the Institute for Justice, points out that the city could have "hired a lawn service to come out and mow the grass, and send Jim a bill for 150 bucks, but they didn't do that."

The reason, says Bargil, is that the city "wants the money. Code enforcement is a major cash cow for the city."

Dunedin collected $34,000 in fines in 2007. Last year, the fines ballooned to $1.3 million. "That's an almost 4,000 percent increase," Bargil tells Stossel, adding the city attorney "has called their code enforcement body a 'well-oiled machine.'"

City officials released a statement saying they "have come under recent unfair criticism." They argue that Ficken is a "repeat offender" and has a "chronic history" of not maintaining his property.

Ficken admits he is a "bit of a slob" but adds, "I got everything taken care of when they notified me."

Bargil argues Dunedin's big fines violate the 8th Amendment. That protects us not only from cruel and unusual punishment but from "excessive fines."

Stossel agrees. What's more excessive than politicians taking your home because you didn't cut your grass?

The views expressed in this video are solely those of John Stossel; his independent production company, Stossel Productions; and the people he interviews. The claims and opinions set forth in the video and accompanying text are not necessarily those of Reason.

libertarian
,
reason magazine
,
reason.com
,
reason.tv
,
reasontv
,
john stossel
,
grass
,
8th amendment
,
excessive fines
    Thumbnail for The 5 Dumbest Laws Restricting the Sale of Booze3:42
    The 5 Dumbest Laws Restricting the Sale of Booze
    ReasonVids
    1022 views
    Thumbnail for Reason.tv's Nanny of the Year 2009!1:21
    Reason.tv's Nanny of the Year 2009!
    ReasonVids
    930 views
    Thumbnail for PoS cop punches and chokes teen girl0:49
    PoS cop punches and chokes teen girl
    publicfreakouts
    737 views
    Thumbnail for The Machine: The Truth Behind Teachers Unions4:30
    The Machine: The Truth Behind Teachers Unions
    ReasonVids
    1082 views
    Thumbnail for Dramatic Olbermann vs. Dramatic Chipmunk0:13
    Dramatic Olbermann vs. Dramatic Chipmunk
    ReasonVids
    1090 views
    Thumbnail for Should the Supreme Court Allow Us to "Go to Hell"?17:19
    Should the Supreme Court Allow Us to "Go to Hell"?
    ReasonVids
    791 views
    Thumbnail for By the Gallon Or By the Mile? - Adrian Moore and Johanna Zmud Discuss Transportation Infrastructure43:29
    By the Gallon Or By the Mile? - Adrian Moore and Johanna Zmud Discuss Transportation Infrastructure
    ReasonVids
    1007 views
    Thumbnail for Social Security, Snoopy Snoopy Poop Dogg, & Alan Simpson: Ultimate Remix1:08
    Social Security, Snoopy Snoopy Poop Dogg, & Alan Simpson: Ultimate Remix
    ReasonVids
    1018 views
    Thumbnail for 3 Supreme Court Decisions to Watch4:31
    3 Supreme Court Decisions to Watch
    ReasonVids
    1010 views
    Thumbnail for Delta Smelt & Undocumented Farm Workers: How Federal Policy Is Failing CA's Central Valley7:47
    Delta Smelt & Undocumented Farm Workers: How Federal Policy Is Failing CA's Central Valley
    ReasonVids
    969 views
    Thumbnail for Stossel: The Deadly-isms3:25
    Stossel: The Deadly-isms
    ReasonVids
    959 views
    Thumbnail for Hot Dogs and Meth | Grunt Speak Shorts7:25
    Hot Dogs and Meth | Grunt Speak Shorts
    Terrence Popp
    733 views
    Thumbnail for 3 Reasons to NOT Fight ISIS2:21
    3 Reasons to NOT Fight ISIS
    ReasonVids
    1026 views
    Thumbnail for 5 Ways Elon Musk and Other Billionaires Get Welfare for the Rich4:19
    5 Ways Elon Musk and Other Billionaires Get Welfare for the Rich
    ReasonVids
    975 views
    Thumbnail for From Priest to Scientist: An Interview with Dr. Francisco J. Ayala9:18
    From Priest to Scientist: An Interview with Dr. Francisco J. Ayala
    ReasonVids
    987 views
    Thumbnail for Ghoulish Granny Gets Karma Kicked | Grunt Speak29:43
    Ghoulish Granny Gets Karma Kicked | Grunt Speak
    Terrence Popp
    454 views
    Thumbnail for The Obsolete Man (BEST) | MIndMattersMost3:39
    The Obsolete Man (BEST) | MIndMattersMost
    invidious
    384 views
    Thumbnail for BLAST Premier Fall Groups 2024: FaZe vs Cloud9, G2 vs NIP,  NAVI vs BIG, Virtus.pro vs Liquid | BLAST Premier1:00
    BLAST Premier Fall Groups 2024: FaZe vs Cloud9, G2 vs NIP, NAVI vs BIG, Virtus.pro vs Liquid | BLAST Premier
    invidious
    292 views
    Thumbnail for Biden Is Lying About the Deficit2:56
    Biden Is Lying About the Deficit
    ReasonVids
    1015 views
    Thumbnail for How Will Mad Men End? Or Why Don Draper MUST Die (or at least fade away)5:00
    How Will Mad Men End? Or Why Don Draper MUST Die (or at least fade away)
    ReasonVids
    942 views
    Thumbnail for Ask a Libertarian Lightning Round!: Death Penalty, Space Travel, & Grover Cleveland3:16
    Ask a Libertarian Lightning Round!: Death Penalty, Space Travel, & Grover Cleveland
    ReasonVids
    1104 views
    Thumbnail for XSMN Minh Ngọc - Trực tiếp Xổ Số Miền Nam - KQXS Miền Nam ngày 18/01/2025, KQXS Hôm Nay, XSTT, XSKT | Xổ Số Minh Ngọc - XoSoMinhNgoc.net.vn2:29:51
    XSMN Minh Ngọc - Trực tiếp Xổ Số Miền Nam - KQXS Miền Nam ngày 18/01/2025, KQXS Hôm Nay, XSTT, XSKT | Xổ Số Minh Ngọc - XoSoMinhNgoc.net.vn
    invidious
    166 views
    Thumbnail for LIVE | Matteo Berrettini v Holger Rune | AO Animated | Australian Open 20253:56:31
    LIVE | Matteo Berrettini v Holger Rune | AO Animated | Australian Open 2025
    invidious
    163 views
    Thumbnail for Sen. Ted Cruz on Obama & Drug Policy: "No man is above the law, especially not the president."2:07
    Sen. Ted Cruz on Obama & Drug Policy: "No man is above the law, especially not the president."
    ReasonVids
    1052 views
    Thumbnail for Is Money Speech? Free Speech Rules (Episode 5)4:02
    Is Money Speech? Free Speech Rules (Episode 5)
    ReasonVids
    1061 views

points

Permalink
Reply
libertarian
,
reason magazine
,
reason.com
,
reason.tv
,
reasontv
,
john stossel
,
grass
,
8th amendment
,
excessive fines
TOS  •  Add Keywords  •  Donate  •   Analytics  •   DMCA  •   Puzzle