Florida: City to Seize Homes Over a $5 Parking Ticket

Florida: City to Seize Homes Over a $5 Parking Ticket

www.thenewspaper.com

The city council in Brooksville, Florida voted this week to advance a proposal granting city officials the authority to place liens and foreclose on the homes of motorists accused of failing to pay a single $5 parking ticket. Non-homeowners face having their vehicles seized if accused of not paying three parking offenses.

According to the proposed ordinance, a vehicle owner must pay a parking fine within 72 hours if a meter maid claims his automobile was improperly parked, incurring tickets worth between $5 and $250. Failure to pay this amount results in the assessment of a fifty-percent "late fee." After seven days, the city will place a lien on the car owner's home for the amount of the ticket plus late fees, attorney fees and an extra $15 fine. The fees quickly turn a $5 ticket into a debt worth several hundred dollars, growing at a one-percent per month interest rate. The ordinance does not require the city to provide notice to the homeowner at any point so that after ninety days elapse, the city will foreclose. If the motorist does not own a home, it will seize his vehicle after the failure to pay three parking tickets.

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Unbelievable get a five dollar parking ticket and you might loose your home.

What happens if you do not own a home?

Also note they do not have to give you a notice that they have secured/issued a lien on your home :shk:

www.thenewspaper.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

[edit on 3/24/2007 by shots]

Originally posted by shots


What happens if you do not own a home?

If the motorist does not own a home, it will seize his vehicle after the failure to pay three parking tickets.

How about they just pay the 5 bucks?

I saw that but was wondering why on earth they need the feature that would allow them to seize your home, if they can seize your car.

One other thing I noticed was the extremely high interest rate they want to charge. If you our I did that we would charge rates like that we would get put in jail.


[edit on 3/24/2007 by shots]

The worst part is that the city isn't even required to give notice. So a good honest person could find themselves homeless and in debt over a $5 parking ticket they didn't even notice.

Wow... that's a pretty interesting article.

I wonder how that would turn out in court. The city can implement laws (codes and the such) under the 10th Amendment. But wouldn't the seizing of your home, for a parking ticket, be against your Constitutionally protected right to Life and Liberty?



I guess if people don't like what the city council put in place, they need to say/do something about it.

Furthermore... I agree with enjoies05. Just pay the $5.