LANTANA, Florida — It began as a seemingly trivial local code dispute over where to park a car and then snowballed into a fierce legal battle with massive financial implications for one South Florida woman and chilling implications for homeowners across America.
Zenaida “Sandy” Martinez is a lifelong Lantana resident. She’s been ordered to pay more than $100,000 in outstanding municipal fines after the Florida Supreme Court declined to hear her appeal last month. The decision leaves intact a cascade of penalties levied against her by the city for what she and supporters describe as minor code infractions that spiraled into ruinous debt.
Martinez’s ordeal began in February 2021 when the City of Lantana, a small municipality on Florida’s Atlantic coast, cited her for having two tires of her car partially on her lawn. Apparently, it’s a violation of local code. According to court records and filings by the Institute for Justice (IJ), the nonprofit public interest law firm representing Martinez, she and her family sometimes struggled to park all four household vehicles completely off the grass in the tight space of her driveway.
Under Lantana’s enforcement regime, this parking violation carried a fine of $250 per day. When the fines were applied for 407 consecutive days, Martinez’s parking penalty alone ballooned to more than $100,000. In addition, the city assessed another $60,000+ in fines for two unrelated cosmetic code violations at her property. Altogether, her liabilities now total well over $165,000. For Martinez, that’s roughly four times her annual income.
Martinez sued the city in 2021, arguing that the punishments were grossly disproportionate to the offenses and unconstitutional under Florida’s Excessive Fines Clause. She lost at the trial court level and again sought review by Florida’s highest court. On December 22, 2025, the Supreme Court of Florida declined to hear her appeal, effectively leaving the six-figure fines in place.
Despite the clear implications of granting the complainant’s request, the court’s refusal ignited sharp criticism from civil liberties advocates. IJ senior attorney Ari Bargil called the decision a “disservice” to all Floridians, saying the court “passed up a chance to clarify constitutional protections” against punitive municipal fines that can devastate ordinary homeowners. Martinez herself said she was “outraged” and insisted that “cities should not be allowed to wreck lives over trivial violations.”
While the homestead exemption in Florida law protects her home from foreclosure, Martinez’s legal team warns that the debt effectively drains her property’s equity and leaves her financially trapped. The fines make it difficult or impossible for her to sell the house or move.
Fines, Code Enforcement and Property Rights
Experts say Martinez’s case illustrates a growing trend of municipal code enforcement practices that can lead to excessively punitive outcomes for everyday residents. Unlike criminal penalties, civil fines for housing and zoning infractions often carry daily accrual, meaning that even small violations can compound into six-figure totals in under a year.
Legal scholars point to older state statutes that authorize cities to assess fines of up to $250 per day but rarely is there effective judicial oversight to ensure those fines remain proportionate to the conduct being punished. In this case, while the statute permitted the fines, both IJ and independent observers argue that the scale of the punishment was never meant to be enforced to the degree seen in Martinez’s case.
Similar disputes in other parts of the country show how code enforcement and debt collection can disproportionately affect homeowners, particularly those lacking legal representation. In some jurisdictions, unpaid fines and liens can lead to foreclosure, loss of property, or years of financial struggle. Civil rights organizations are increasingly calling for legislative reforms to prevent runaway fines that burden families over minor property issues.
What Comes Next
For now, Martinez continues to owe the city tens of thousands of dollars and faces ongoing financial strain. Her legal team is considering other avenues, including potential legislative challenges, to highlight the consequences of excessive municipal fines. Without a reversal or settlement, her case is a stark warning to other homeowners about the potentially devastating consequences of seemingly minor property disputes.