Truckers living in The Acreage neighborhood of Palm Beach County, Florida, are caught up in a court fight over the right to park their rigs at home. The trouble started back in 2019 when the county updated a rule, banning truck parking on residential property. Some truckers have been living there for decades and thought they had the right to keep their trucks with them.
How it’s unfolded: The county started enforcing the ban in 2020, slapping truckers with fines of $50 to $100 a day. Many drivers racked up thousands in fines. Residents Jorge Alfaro and Clare Dougal sued the county in 2024, saying the new rules were taking away their property rights and turning their lives upside down.
- On May 22, 2025, one judge sided with the county, saying the truckers had not proven financial harm.
- A different judge came back on June 1 and said the truckers’ case should go to trial, but then pulled that decision only two days later.
- Now, the truckers’ lawyer has filed for a rehearing, pointing to the back-and-forth court rulings creating more confusion.
Frustration and tough choices: Local truckers say the court and county are making it impossible for them to stay. “We helped to build this community — the schools, the parks, the supermarkets — now they say they don’t want us,” Dougal said. Natalia Melian-Torres, a leader in the “Save Our Truckers” group, is putting her house up for sale and moving her family. She says they’re being pushed out for just trying to do honest work.
The latest: Palm Beach County’s attorney said in early June that the case had reached a “very successful conclusion” for the county, but she expects more lawsuits ahead since the truckers are still fighting back, according to The Town-Crier.
Court records show the matter is headed for more legal wrangling, and the truckers remain in limbo as of June 2025.