Man jailed for neglecting lawn: Don't do the crime if you can't do the time!

Forget California, Arizona, and even Jerusalem. For a lot of people, Florida is the promised land. Whether because of its famously mild climate, its extensive beaches, or its huge retirement communities, "Death's waiting room" has a reputation as the place to go when one tires of city living and harsh weather.

In this context, it's not all that surprising that Joseph Prudente, formerly of Holtsville, New York, decided to move there when he retired. What is surprising is that he ended up spending a night in the slammer recently after his finances soured and he neglected to care for his lawn.

How is this possible? Prudente lives in Beacon Woods, a wooded, planned community built around a golf course. He purchased a four bedroom house for $128,000 in 1998, and settled into a well-deserved retirement. However, as times got tougher, Prudente's stepdaughter moved in, along with her husband and two kids. Once again, tasked with supporting his family, Prudente found his pension getting stretched to the breaking point. Scrambling to keep food on the table and the mortgage paid up, he began neglecting the yard. Big mistake.