WHO IS FANE LOZMAN?

Personal: A 56-year-old Miami native, he graduated from the University of

Miami with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics before joining the U.S. Marines. After a six-year stint as a pilot, he moved to Chicago where he traded commodities. He made millions from patenting software that tracks market volatility and returned to Miami.

Prior to Riviera Beach: While living on a boat in North Bay Village in 2003, he was kicked out of public meetings and arrested for accusing officials of corruption. He eventually gathered information that led to the arrests of the mayor and three city commissioners in the town, which is north of Miami. After Hurricane Wilma destroyed the marina in 2005, he moved his floating home to the Riviera Beach Marina.

Life in Riviera Beach:

He arrived as the city council was planning to use its power of eminent domain to condemn homes and businesses as part of a multibilliondollar redevelopment plan. At public meetings, Lozman accused council members of corruption. In 2006, he sued to block the redevelopment, claiming the council violated the state’s opening meeting laws, but later dropped that suit. After a protracted battle to evict him from the marina, the city sued Lozman in federal court in 2009 and got permission to seize and destroy the boat under admiralty law. Meanwhile, Lozman had filed a First Amendment retaliation lawsuit in 2008, claiming his 2006 arrest for refusing to leave the podium and the city’s effort to evict him were part of an unconstitutional effort to stop him from expressing his opposition to the redevelopment plan.

U.S. Supreme Court:

In 2013, the high court agreed with Lozman that the city illegally destroyed his floating home using centuries-old maritime laws. But a federal judge later awarded him only $7,500. On Tuesday, Lozman, who now lives in Miami, will try to convince justices that the Riviera Beach Council violated his First Amendment rights by having him arrested at the 2006 meeting. Philosophy: “I look at myself as someone who fights corrupt elected officials ... who do what’s best for them, not what’s best for the community.” He said his riches give him an edge. “You can’t fight City Hall if you have a job.”