Florida Attorney General Sues Homeowner In Dispute Over Pro-Trump Yard Signs

Thank you very much to a reader for bringing this to my attention.

A dispute between two homeowners in Florida has caught the attention of Florida’s Attorney General, James Uthmeier, who has now intervened and brought a legal action against one of the homeowners.

According to reports, Jason McCormick was upset his neighbors, Daryl and Kimberly Ward, flew multiple pro-Trump and anti-Biden flags on their property beginning in 2022.

Daryl and Kimberly sound very based to me.

But McCormick reportedly did not like it and made several unsuccessful attempts to get them to stop.  When none of those work, he filed a lawsuit against them for having two outbuildings closer to the lot line than allowed by their applicable Covenants.

That’s when Attorney General Uthmeier stepped in, filing a suit of his own against McCormick claiming McCormick used lawfare to retaliate against political speech and that such actions are wrong and unlawful.

Attorney General James Uthmeier sues DeLand homeowner in dispute over pro-Trump yard signs https://t.co/yd2onGXyRJ

— Daytona Beach News-Journal (@dbnewsjournal) July 17, 2025

The Daytona Beach Journal had more details:

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is intervening in an ongoing Volusia County legal dispute, saying he is standing up for the free-speech rights of two homeowners who posted pro-Donald Trump political signs on their property.

The lawsuit, filed in 2024 by homeowner Jason McCormick, alleges his neighbors, Daryl and Kimberly Ward, breached a contract by constructing two outbuildings closer to the lot line than allowed under the “Declaration of Covenants Underhill Unrecorded Sub − Hazen Road.” The parties live in Glenwood, just northeast of DeLand.

The original complaint does not mention anything about political signage. A trial has been scheduled in the McCormick-Ward case for Sept. 4 and 5.

But on July 15, Uthmeier filed his own suit against McCormick. The attorney general says McCormick objected to political signs − starting with one in 2022 declaring “Let’s Go Brandon” − on the Wards’ property.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has filed suit in defense of Daryl and Kimberly Ward, the owners of this Glenwood home, saying a neighbor wrongfully used “lawfare” in an attempt to suppress the homeowners’ free-speech rights. In 2024, the neighbor, Jason McCormick, sued the Wards, arguing their home has buildings too close to the lot lines under a neighborhood covenant.
From 2022 through the 2024 election, the Wards posted pro-Donald Trump signs, and “McCormick has continued to express his dissatisfaction with their political signs through texts and emails.”

Uthmeier’s lawsuit states the buildings on the Wards’ property have been there for years and enforcing the covenant was “retaliation and interference with the Wards’ exercise of their First Amendment rights.” It further claims McCormick’s actions constitute “threats, intimidation, or coercion” against the Wards.

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The Uthmeier lawsuit quotes from an Aug. 15, 2024, email McCormick sent the Wards at the onset of the original suit: “If you are interested in seeking compromise or accommodation, perhaps we should consider new guidelines, like setback exceptions and those for political signs, banners, and flags. Both attributes impact property value, one may be easier to move or remove than the other.”

God bless the free state of Florida and it’s wonderful Attorney General!

Thank you for standing up for free speech!

Using lawfare to retaliate against political speech is wrong and unlawful.
 
These homeowners should be free to support President Trump without fear, and we will protect their right to do so. pic.twitter.com/alAOVXG2Z8

— Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) July 16, 2025

The Tampa Free Press explains more about the pattern of coercion asserted by Attorney General Uthmeier, which is prohibited under Section 760.51:

Attorney General Uthmeier asserts that McCormick engaged in a pattern of threats, intimidation, and coercion specifically designed to suppress the Wards’ political speech. This alleged pattern included:

• Threatening to sue the Wards if they didn’t remove their signs.
• Filing a covenant enforcement lawsuit concerning two buildings on the Wards’ property, but only after they refused to take down their political signs.
• “Weaponizing” restrictive covenants as a form of retaliation against protected speech.
• Singling out the Wards due to their political expression, while reportedly ignoring similar covenant issues with other neighbors.

The lawsuit seeks relief under Section 760.51, Florida Statutes, which explicitly prohibits threats, intimidation, or coercion that infringe upon constitutional rights. The Attorney General’s office affirmed its commitment to utilizing all available tools under Florida law to safeguard these fundamental rights for all citizens.