South Florida man wins houseboat case in Supreme Court

January 16, 2013 by legitgov

South Florida man wins houseboat case in Supreme Court 15 Jan 2013 A Florida resident actually had his "boat floated" Tuesday by the Supreme Court, as justices ruled that the city of Riviera Beach could not regulate his home as a maritime vessel. In a peculiar case that captured national attention from gambling companies and others, the court in a 7-2 ruling concluded the city went too far when it used maritime law to seize and ultimately destroy the floating home of former commodities trader Fane Lozman. Besides giving Lozman a personal victory, the ruling clarifies and narrows how government agencies can deploy maritime law.