[EdFNJ]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

Has anyone reading this had their driveway blocked by someone? We haven't, ever. -clip- .

Well, lucky you!!! Yes, see Post #9. Once a week, totally blocked. Often someone parks across the street across from driveway due to the way the homes are aligned but that can't be helped and is perfectly legal.

No one should have to ask anyone to NOT block their driveway nicely or otherwise. I had to chase down one of 5 people mowing 2 homes on either side of me while they were riding large mowers, using noisy leaf blowers and trimmers and wearing hearing protection so they couldn't hear me anyway to get my car out of the driveway. If it was my GC I'd probably just go on the grass.

What if it was an emergency and I had to get to Starbucks, or my wife was about to give birth! Never mind the second one but there could be an emergency of some sort.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by Aces4

Sometimes the analogies in here drive me crazy. Yes, we have had lawn companies park blocking our driveways several times and they weren’t our lawn cutters. We asked them nicely to move once, so we could keep an appointment. After walking up the street 3 houses and locating them, they barely pulled ahead and we had to maneuver carefully to back out of our drive. Passive/aggressive.

Why should anyone have to be put through that in this heat or if they are sick or elderly? We ended the nonsense by parking our vehicle in front of our driveway on lawn mowing day.

Having to defend opening up your own driveway is ludicrous. What’s wrong with people defending that behavior?

You're seeing only two possible situations, and completely discounting the situation that's actually happening.

Whether it is legal or not to block someone's driveway, it is *absolutely* illegal to move someone else's private property, that is not ON your private property, without that person's permission. You aren't allowed to move your neighbor's car if they're parked in front of your house. You're not allowed to move your neighbor's golf cart if they're parked in front of your house. You can't move someone's bicycle parked in front of your house. Or someone's lawnmower.

If these vehicles are ON your property, then the laws probably differ. But these vehicles are not on your property, and they don't belong to you.

You can't touch them, legally, without their permission. Whether they're supposed to be there or not.

[Topspinmo]

Originally Posted by Blackie

Statutes & Constitution
:View Statutes
:

Online Sunshine

Section 12.b.1

This statute appears to cover vehicles but maybe not the mowers.

The lawn mower not registered vehicle, so it’s not supposed to be in the street

[Topspinmo]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

Has anyone reading this had their driveway blocked by someone? We haven't, ever. Once in awhile it may be inconvenient to back out because someone working at someone's house is parked across the street from our driveway, but just some patience is required and careful backing is required.

Yes in CYV

[kcrazorbackfan]

Good god, quit making a mountain out of a molehill. Go find the owner - HE CAN’T BE FAR AWAY - and just explain that your wife is needing to leave and ask him to move the mowers. Problem solved. From a retired LEO’s standpoint, do not touch another persons possessions.

BTW, what part of the US did you move from?

[Phil_Linda]

Why would one be so mad about this? I have had my driveway blocked a bit and all I did was find the landscape guy and ask him to move the mower, he said he sure would and said he was sorry for leaving it there. Said he was all backed up and just unloaded another mower before he needed it.
I have found that just being nice is the best way to handle most situations. Heck we are all retired here and should be the happiest people on earth.
Now, I have to add this I am sure glad that I don't have a neighbor like one mentioned here that he would intentionally back into the equipment then sue, that in my opinion is not a very good person.
“For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness.”

[coffeebean]

Originally Posted by Jazuela

I still don't get why you didn't just ask them to move the mowers. Not in a challenging way, or accusatory way, but as a request from one civilized person to another.

"Hey there - my wife needs to get out of the driveway, mind moving your mowers please?"

If they say no, make a fuss. If they move them, problem solved, no police needed at all.

Even if it was against the law for them to block the driveway - it is also not lawful for you to move THEIR property without their permission.

Didn't the OP say the workers were not in sight?

If they say no? How can anyone knowingly block someone's driveway and not comply when asked to move their vehicle? I can not imaging that ever happening.......ever.

[coffeebean]

Originally Posted by Jazuela

If you were dropping your wife off at the doctor's office and parked in front of the wheel chair ramp of the sidewalk and was walking your wife to the front door a few steps away, and someone with a wheelchair was trying to come down that ramp, would it be okay if the person pushing behind the wheelchair to get into your car and move it out of their way?

Or would you prefer it if they simply asked you to move the car?

That is a silly question. Of course one would prefer to be asked to move their car and I understand this is just an analogy. But....if the driver of the offending vehicle is no where to be found (such as the dilemma of the OP), then there is no one to ask.

For the record....I would never get in someone else's vehicle to move it.

[coffeebean]

Originally Posted by Aces4

I don’t know about you and your husband, but we shower, put on clean, fresh clothes and comb our hair for appts. It’s not fun going through different yards trying to find the crew member who speaks English to move the trailer.

Your solution is fine for the perfect scenario but life doesn’t work that way. The OP didn’t damage the mowers, he moved them out of the way. It is his driveway!

Exactly. Why should the person with the blocked driveway have to go looking for the offenders. How can these people willfully block someone's driveway? Who does that? Do they ever wonder if someone may need to leave in a hurry for an emergency? I have no words beyond the fact these offenders are not very bright.

[coffeebean]

Originally Posted by Jazuela

You're seeing only two possible situations, and completely discounting the situation that's actually happening.

Whether it is legal or not to block someone's driveway, it is *absolutely* illegal to move someone else's private property, that is not ON your private property, without that person's permission. You aren't allowed to move your neighbor's car if they're parked in front of your house. You're not allowed to move your neighbor's golf cart if they're parked in front of your house. You can't move someone's bicycle parked in front of your house. Or someone's lawnmower.

If these vehicles are ON your property, then the laws probably differ. But these vehicles are not on your property, and they don't belong to you.

You can't touch them, legally, without their permission. Whether they're supposed to be there or not.

I understand the legality of not touching someone's personal property. I get it. In fact, I feel bad having to move someone's cart in a grocery store when they have gone missing and it is blocking the shelf I need to get to. I always look around first to see who could possibly be using the cart but to no avail. I will move it but feel bad having to do that.

[Kerlampert]

Originally Posted by TomSwango

Today when my wife got ready to leave for an appointment she found our driveway blocked by several large lawn mowers that had been unloaded from a trailer parked in front of our house.
Neither my wife or I saw the workmen so I pushed the lawn mowers back up onto the trailer.
After my wife left one of the workman can to my door. He said that he was calling the police because I touched his lawn mowers. I explained that his equipment was blocking my driveway. However, I considered him so upset, agitated and threatening that I closed the door and called the police.
I had video and audio of the entire exchange from my ring doorbell.
However, when the police arrived I was told that, It was illegal for me to "touch" the equipment blocking my drive but it was not illegal for the workers to block my drive with their unattended equipment.
When I said that made no sense to me one of the officers offered that there was no criminal intent when the workmen blocked my driveway with their equipment and left.
This makes absolutely no sense to me. Am I to believe that if I park on the street and block another owner's driveway so that the owner can not get his car out that I have not broken a law. Would someone please explain to me what I am missing?

It is illegal to park in front of or block any driveway.

[The Caretaker]

Take it to the Captain as it is illegal to deny access from exiting your property!!!! Your officer was WRONG. Now if the lawn guys were in sight and you didn’t ask them to move the movers shame on you.

[Roberta Forcina]

I agree with this homeowner. The response from the police in this matter seems ludicrous. The homeowner was only moving the equipment which should not have been left there to begin with. Perhaps if they would have backed out with their car and damaged the equipment I wonder what the response would have been then. You cannot block access to personal property. I would have called the company and filed a complaint as well as to the disrespect and behavior of the workers. All they had to say was they were sorry to have caused the inconvenience and move their equipment.

[Gail Paige]

I called the police regarding my neighbor's lawn guys blocking my driveway when they mow her lawn and was told that it was illegal for them to do that, to call them the next time they do it and he would send a policeman out to deal with them. I guess technically the mowers were not on your property so the police have to handle it - not you.

[WalkerLoop]

It is illegal to block access to a public street in Florida. The police officer was correct, in that you cannot touch/move the lawn mowers equipment, but the lawn mowing company is legally required to move their equipment or they can be fined and potentially arrested if they decline the officer's request.