Sean Law could adopt any number of slogans to describe his weed-entangled front yard.

Make love and food, but don't mow the lawn.

Or perhaps just: Live and let grow.

Unfortunately, the 32-year-old Longwood man is not creating much love or good will with his neighbors.

In the past year, Law has racked up nearly $130,000 in code-enforcement fines from the city of Longwood because of weeds, trash, debris and unmowed grass.

"My motive is to grow life and love," said Law, taking a cue from a Japanese farmer/philosopher who advocated natural farming. "It's a moral imperative that we grow food wherever we can, and that is what I am doing."

But Law's neighbors aren't hearing any of it. They point out that Law lives on East Maine Avenue in suburban Longwood — not a farm.

To Kathy Ettman, his yard — dotted with tree stumps, tall grass, weeds, and unpruned fruit and vegetable plants — is hurting property values in the otherwise well-kept, quiet neighborhood.

"We're tired of it," said Ettman, who lives across the street from Law. "We've been dealing with it for two years.

"We have to look at it..."

But Law is not planning to clean up his property anytime soon.

In fact, he filed a notice this week with the Florida Supreme Court that he plans to appeal a lower court's decision upholding the city's fine.

Law said his jungle-like yard falls under the standards of a 2009 Florida-friendly landscaping law that encourages homeowners to cultivate landscapes that conserve water, protect the environment and don't require chemicals.

His actions, he says, come directly from the late Japanese philosopher Masanobu Fukuoka, who taught "Do-Nothing Farming," or no weeding, no tilling, no pruning, no pesticides and no fertilizers.

Law said he is creating a natural environment for life while growing arugula, avocados, broccoli, watermelon and luffa.

"It's blunt tyranny for a city to stop people from growing their own food," said Law, with dark hair tied back in a ponytail and a trim beard.

But city officials don't see it that way.

"It's just horrible," said Officer Kevin Tuck of the Longwood Police Department, which handles code enforcement. "We've been dealing with him on this for years."

The issue started in July 2012 when Longwood cited Law for having high grass, weeds and other debris on his yard near the corner of East Maine Avenue and South Oak Street.

Neighbors called City Hall, saying the lack of maintenance on Law's property caused an infestation of mosquitoes, ants, moles and rats, as well as foul odors.

One resident said her cat often brings home dead rats, snakes and moles it has hunted on the property.

But in a September 2012 hearing, Law told Longwood Special Magistrate Amy Goodblatt that the problem was not his high grass.

The problem, he said, rested with his neighbors, whose grass was too short.

Goodblatt wasn't impressed. She ruled that Law's unkempt yard constituted a public nuisance and a negative impact on the adjacent land owners.

He was fined $300 per day. The city has also placed a lien against Law's home.

Acting as his own attorney, Law has since appealed.

On Jan. 23, Longwood's special magistrate is scheduled to hear a request to lower Law's fine and lift the city's lien against his property.

Law waxed philosophic this week while sitting near his front door. "We have grown afraid of having life grow around us," he said.

But like most of Law's neighbors, Jeff Walters has seen — and heard — enough.

"It shouldn't have gone this far," said Walters, who lives across the street.

"It's certainly an eye sore. This isn't the kind of neighborhood where you can let your yard go like that."

mcomas@tribune.com or 407-420-5718.