Government Tells Couple To Uproot Their Garden or Face Fines

City officials in Miami Shores Village, FL threatened a couple with steep daily fines until they agreed to uproot a vegetable garden they had been cultivating for nearly two decades. Now, the couple is taking the city to court for violating their right to privacy.

This May, the city revised its zoning code to “protect the distinctive character of the Miami Shores Village” and eliminate aesthetic blemishes, according to Watchdog.org. Oddly, the code specifically prohibits vegetable plants in front yards, but allows for trees, fruit plants, and kitsch items like pink flamingos and garden gnomes.

Hermine Ricketts and Tom Carroll, who spent 17 years raising an extensive garden not just as a hobby but to feed themselves, fell victim to this new regulation. City officials informed Ricketts and Carroll that their food source was illegal and needed to be removed, or else the couple would face a $50 fine every day that the garden remained. The couple explained that their garden could not be relocated to the back yard, because it does not receive enough sunlight to sustain their production. They also made multiple formal requests to be allowed to keep their garden, but were denied by the code enforcement board. Read more >>