Getting released from jail usually presents a pretty straightforward objective: don’t immediately do something that might send you back. Tampa homeowner Michael Martin is accused of struggling with that assignment after a Florida Highway Patrol trooper clocked him driving 125 mph shortly after his release from custody.
According to WTSP, a state trooper spotted Martin driving a dark-colored sedan northbound across the Howard Frankland Bridge at approximately 10:30 p.m. on Saturday. The trooper measured Martin’s speed at 125 mph in a posted 65-mph zone, putting him a full 60 mph over the limit.
The trooper pulled Martin over and arrested him for what FHP described as “dangerous and excessive speed.” Martin was charged with operating a vehicle more than 50 mph over the speed limit, a second-degree misdemeanor traffic offense under Florida’s “Super Speeder” law.
Ordinarily, that would be enough to make for an eventful weekend, but Martin’s recent history makes the arrest considerably stranger. He had only recently been released from jail after spending months behind bars over a years-long legal fight involving his Tampa home.
Michael Martin’s First Trip to Jail Had Nothing To Do With Speeding
Martin was arrested in April on a contempt-of-court order stemming from a lengthy dispute with his neighbors over structures on his property in Tampa’s Beach Park neighborhood. The fight involves a guest house, swimming pool, and pickleball court that a judge ultimately ordered demolished.
The dispute dates back to 2021, when Martin’s neighbors sued him and the City of Tampa after permits were approved for construction on the property. Among their objections were concerns about the location of the guest house and their contention that portions of the construction violated restrictions associated with the property.
Years of litigation followed, producing more than 500 filings in the court record by April 2026, according to WTSP. Judge Christopher Nash eventually found that the construction did not comply with plat restrictions dating back to 1924 and ordered the affected structures demolished.
A $392,400 Demolition Fight Kept Martin Behind Bars
The dispute escalated dramatically when Martin did not pay nearly $392,400 to begin the court-ordered demolition while continuing to pursue appeals. Nash eventually found him in contempt and issued an order that led to Martin’s arrest in April.
Martin and his attorney had argued that forcing the demolition while appeals remained pending could leave him paying enormous costs to tear down structures he might later be allowed to rebuild. His neighbors’ attorney, meanwhile, said the goal was not to keep Martin incarcerated but to have the court’s judgment followed.
After eventually getting out of jail, Martin’s freedom was short-lived thanks to an entirely unrelated encounter on the Howard Frankland Bridge. Jail records cited by WTSP show he was released Monday morning again on a cash bond following the Super Speeder arrest, giving him another opportunity to make his latest release last considerably longer than the first.