Fane Lozman

Fane Lozman is an American inventor and futures and options trader known for his long-running legal battles with the city of Riviera Beach, Florida. His litigation against the city has reached the U.S. Supreme Court twice: a 2013 case about whether a floating home is a vessel and a 2018 case about retaliatory arrest for protected speech. The court ruled in his favor in both cases.

Prior to moving to Riviera Beach, Lozman lived in North Bay Village, Florida, where his investigative efforts resulted in the arrests of corrupt government officials. For his activism in Riviera Beach and North Bay Village, Lozman has been described as a "persistent gadfly" and a "relentless opponent of public corruption".

Early life, education, and career Born in Miami, Florida, Lozman received a B.A. in mathematics from the University of Miami. He then joined the United States Marine Corps, where he served a tour of duty as a Marine attack pilot.

After returning to civilian life, Lozman moved to Chicago and invented a new market trading screen interface, which he named Scanshift. The interface was "modeled on the cockpit displays of the planes he used to fly",

, Lozman had become involved in real estate development with an overwater stilt home community called Renegade on a parcel of submerged lands. This property, with of private beach, was located on the northwest side of Singer Island, Florida, adjacent to the intracoastal waterway.

Legal battles North Bay Village In 2002, Lozman moved back to South Florida to escape the Chicago winters. He purchased a two-story floating home and had it towed from Fort Myers, Florida to North Bay Village, Florida, in northern Miami-Dade County. Lozman became an outspoken critic of the plan, accusing the Council members of corruption in public meetings.

On June 28, 2006, the City Council held a closed-door meeting to discuss the lawsuit Lozman had recently filed. The Council members were in agreement that Lozman should be "intimidated" and made to feel "unwarranted heat".

Floating home dispute and first U.S. Supreme Court case After failing to evict Lozman from the Riviera Beach marina under state landlord-tenant law, the city asked Lozman to sign an agreement requiring that his floating home be able to be moved in an emergency. A federal judge later awarded Lozman only $7,500 for his damages.

Arrest and second U.S. Supreme Court case

The City Council met in regular session on November 15, 2006, at which time the City abandoned its plans to redevelop the waterfront. During a time for members of the public to make comments to the council, Lozman began to raise the subject of corruption charges brought against Palm Beach County officials. Council chairperson Elizabeth Wade interrupted Lozman and instructed him to stop speaking. When Lozman refused, the council member ordered a police officer to "carry him out"; Lozman, objecting that his First Amendment rights were being violated, was then handcuffed and placed in a jail cell at the police station, and charged with disorderly conduct and trespass. The trespass charge was later whited out and modified to one of "resisting violence, to wit obstruction".

In 2008, Lozman filed a First Amendment retaliation lawsuit, claiming his 2006 arrest for refusing to leave the podium at a City Council meeting and the City's effort to evict him from the City marina were part of an unconstitutional effort to stop him from criticizing the City and its policies. While the Eleventh Circuit was drafting its opinion on remand, Lozman offered to settle the matter for "$650,000, an apology and an invitation to address the city council". After the Eleventh Circuit remanded Lozman's case to the district court, a retrial was scheduled for April 2020. In lieu of a second trial, the City settled with Lozman in February 2020 for $875,000, a substantial increase of $225,000 from Lozman's earlier settlement offer.