One of the ways the government tries to steal from you. This reminds me of some areas that foreclosed on houses because of unpaid taxes, but then would keep the leftover equity instead of paying the homeowner, which is also being fought around the country. And it just goes to show you that the government thinks your money belongs to them until they can take it from you, and why they’re fighting so hard so you’ll have no financial privacy, and attacking the ways you can have privacy with cryptocurrencies.
https://www.wnd.com/2025/12/city-caught-scheme-take-property-without-paying-more/
By Bob Unruh
The city of Miami has been caught in a scheme to take property from more than 1,000 homeowners, without paying for any of it, and the Institute for Justice has blasted the “theft by extortion” agenda.
“The right to prevent the government from unlawfully taking your property is a right recognized from the very start of this nation,” said IJ Attorney Suranjan Sen. “The city of Miami cannot simply decide to take your property away because it wants it.”
The organization, reported it was drawn into the fight by Chad Trausch, a Navy veteran who wanted to add two bedrooms and two baths to his home in order for his relatives to move in.
The city agreed to allow it, on the condition that Trausch give up to the city half of his front yard, a circumstance that had nothing at all to do with the construction of any addition.
Trausch contacted the IJ and fought back.
“Miami requires a permit to build on your property. If you want to build an extra bathroom, bedroom, an accessory dwelling unit, or any other type of structural addition defined under Miami code you must get permission. This is a fairly standard process in many cities,” the IJ explained.
“But in Miami, the government has used the permitting process to take land from residents without having to pay for it.”
The city’s policy is to demand rights to residents’ front yards, whenever anyone needs a permit of any kind or type from the city.
“Someone might need a permit for bathroom remodeling, for a kitchen expansion, or an accessory dwelling unit. In any case, applicants must give up their land,” the IJ said.
The city’s goal is to acquire rights to all the land it wants because it may want to widen roads at some point in the future.
Cities can condemn land at that point in the development, but officials also then would be required to pay fair market value for any land they take.
So far, Miami’s campaign puts a bull’s-eye on more than 1,000 homes.
Trausch had submitted an application for a permit for his addition, only to be confronted with the city’s demand for 500 square feet of his land.
“It was only after IJ became involved Miami finally granted a waiver for Chad to finally build, over a year after he had originally submitted his request,” IJ reported. “But that delay still came at an emotional and financial cost. Chad’s wife and daughter ended up moving to South Carolina during the process to be with her parents since they couldn’t move in with her, leaving Chad alone. It will now also cost him approximately $200,000 extra for building materials and labor to build the addition.”
The waiver also involves only this application, as the city kept the right to demand land in the future.
“This is theft by extortion,” said IJ lawyer Benjamin Marsh. “It’s time to end this unconstitutional process.”