One couple's infamous battle over the right to grow vegetables has resulted in a new bill.

A couple in Miami Shores, Florida, had been cultivating a front-yard vegetable garden for 17 years when, all of a sudden, they were told it was illegal. Apparently vegetable gardens were now only allowed in rear yards, but that wouldn't work for this couple, as theirs was north-facing and didn't get enough sun.

Hermine Ricketts and Tom Carroll, indignant at the fact that vegetables were deemed more offensive than boats, RVs, jet skis, statues, fountains, gnomes, pink flamingoes, or Santa in a Speedo in one's front yard, took their case to the Florida Supreme Court, which ruled in favor of Miami Shores' right to control design and landscaping standards. In other words, it was a loss for Ricketts and Carroll.

State Government Steps in



But a few months later, victory was theirs. The front-yard garden ban touched a nerve with enough senators that a new bill just passed in mid-March, stating that Floridians are now able to grow fruit and vegetables in their front yards without fear of local government fines.The Miami Herald cites Republican Senator Rob Bradley, who sponsored the bill and described it as a "vast overreach." Given how many food deserts exist and how hard it can be for many families to access fresh and affordable food, such bans are an absurd step in the wrong direction. Bradley said,