Florida Man Back Who Refused to Demolish His Guest House is Back in Legal Trouble

A Tampa man is back in legal hot water months after being released from jail for an unrelated incident. Michael Martin was arrested on Sept. 5 by the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), according to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. 

Martin was stopped by FHP for speeding. According to the arrest affidavit, the deputy wrote that they were conducting speed enforcement while stationed near the express lanes on Interstate 275. He was charged under the state’s Super Speeder Law. 

The deputy went on to explain how they arrested Martin for speeding. The incident came after Martin spent three weeks in jail. The homeowner had been arrested for contempt in a long-running dispute between Martin and his neighbors.

That’s because Fox13 says that Martin refused to demolish a guest house that he had built on his property. The legal battle had drawn quite a bit of media attention, both because of the circumstances of the case as well as Martin’s repeated appeals. 

Tampa Man Arrested for Speeding

According to arrest records, Martin was the only car on the road at 10:19 p.m., when Deputy Faber used a Truspeed laser device to see how fast Martin’s sedan was driving. The affidavit says that the car was traveling at 125 miles per hour on the Howard Franklin Bridge. The section of I-275 has a 65 miles per hour speed limit, so Faber pulled the car over. He was charged with dangerous excessive speeding/operating a vehicle more than 50 mph over the limit.

Martin was released after paying a $150 cash bond. He later pleaded not guilty through his attorney, and he’s scheduled to appear before a judge in November 2026.

His attorney released a statement to Tampa Bay News 10. “Mr. Martin takes full responsibility for his actions and cooperated with law enforcement throughout the incident,” it said. “He understands and supports the need for safe driving laws and for the challenging work law enforcement does in keeping us safe on the roads.”

The Homeowner Recently Spent Several Weeks in Jail

Martin’s case is especially notable because he had just recently been released from jail after refusing to comply with an order to demolish a guest house, pickleball court, and pool that he had built on his property.

Fox13 reports that Martin’s neighbors had originally became upset with the renovation, and they sued the homeowner after claiming that the construction project violated the city’s building code, plat laws, and state laws. Martin went back and forth with the courts through a lengthy appeals process, citing the city’s approval of the project’s plans. 

Martin’s lawyer fought back against the order to demolish the property, saying that it didn’t make sense to tear it down during the appeal process. Ultimately, the judge ordered Martin to demolish the property and jailed him for contempt when he refused. 

The Tampa Man Could Find Himself Back in Jail

It looks like Martin will be charged under Florida’s Super Speeder Law. If convicted, he could face up to 30 days in jail and a $500 fine as a first-time offender, according to the Shafer Law, P.A. website.

That being said, the website says that officers have a lot of discretion when it comes to Super Speeders, and that repeat offenders could face longer jail time and higher fines.