An upscale Florida neighborhood has been torn apart after a businessman built a huge extension including a pickleball court that he is now refusing to demolish.
Michael Martin, 62, has gone to jail after refusing to remove the $1 million guest house, swimming pool and pickleball court at his $1.8 million home in Tampa, Florida.
Martin - a married father-of-three described by his family as a clean-freak - has languished behind bars since April after being held in contempt of court over his refusal to demolish the addition.
The saga began in 2021, when Martin filed plans for his extension, with neighbors Barbara Babbitt, 65, and her husband Gordon, 67, warning him they were opposed to the construction.
They cited a city planning restriction from 1924 that deemed the vacant space that Martin owned as 'un-buildable.'
Despite that warning, Martin was granted permission to begin building work by a City of Tampa zoning official.
Construction began, to the consternation of Gordon and Barbara Babbitt, who the Daily Mail photographed outside her home last week in a smart zebra print top.
The couple complained that Martin's new guest house sat just seven feet from the boundary line of their gorgeous $2.2 million home, and claimed the construction ruined their 'ability to enjoy their home.'
Wealthy Florida businessman Michael Martin, 62, (right) has languished in jail for weeks for refusing to tear down a $1 million guest house and swimming pool after a judge decided he was wrongly issued permits to build it
Martin shelled out over $1 million to construct a guest house with a swimming pool and pickleball court. A judge later ruled that a City of Tampa zoning official had erroneously granted planning permission for the additions
They filed a civil lawsuit over the extension, with a judge issuing a ruling in their favor as building work neared completion in March 2025.
That ruling voided the planning permission originally given to Martin to build the extension to his home.
It said the planning official, who has not been named, erroneously granted planning permission for construction on parts of Martin's backyard that he was indeed banned from building on.
Martin, a serial entrepreneur who made his fortune in construction and real estate, ignored the judge's order.
He said it would cost him $800,000 just to demolish the extension he'd already spent $1 million on building.
Martin's continued refusal to demolish the extension saw him ordered to jail without bond for contempt.
He was arrested in front of his wife Katherine, 32, and his children last month.
Katherine told the Daily Mail that the situation is a 'complete mess' and that she is upset by how the City of Tampa has handled the fallout.
Martin's neighbor Barbara Babbitt (pictured last week) and her husband Gordon successfully sued to get rid of the extension - but their neighbor has now gone to jail for contempt of court instead of complying with a judge's order to do so
The Babbitts' sued Martin to stop him building behind their $2.2 million mansion (pictured) in Tampa, Florida
Martin's home is pictured with the extension behind it. The Babbitts' home is the gray one that sits two doors down from his
Compounding the drama, Martin was accused of bringing illegal drugs into Hillsborough County Jail while he was being booked in.
A felony contraband charge was dropped when Martin was able to prove that the pills he had on him were benzodiazepine that he had been prescribed for his anxiety.
Martin has said he is willing to stay behind bars while two separate appeals contesting rulings made against him make their way through the court system.
In the time since Martin was locked up, his friends, family and neighbors have staged a protest to bring attention to his case, holding a demonstration on his street with signs reading 'Free Martin' and 'Fix the System.'
'It's gone way too far,' neighbor Nick Meoli told Fox13. 'I'd like to see this situation resolved as soon as possible in a respectful way and also in a way that makes sense for both parties, right?'
'I really admire Mr. Martin for telling this judge, no, I'm going to stay in jail if the alternative is to destroy this home,' said Richard Escobar, a criminal defense attorney who is representing Martin, to Fox13.
Escobar said they are awaiting the result of the appeal and said he believes the businessman should never have been locked up for denying the judge's order to tear down his million-dollar guest home.
'Mr Martin should not be in jail because of what happened in a civil court proceeding when there are alternatives in order to make this right,' the attorney added.
Michael Martin, seen during his court appearance, has languished in jail since April 20 after a judge held him in contempt of court
The Babbitt's home (left, gray roof) borders Martin's newly constructed guest house, sparking a years-long legal battle that has landed the businessman behind bars
The warring neighbors share an adjoining property line behind their multi-million dollar mansions, and the Babbitt's claimed the construction just seven feet from their property line ruined their 'ability to enjoy their home'
In the time Martin was locked up, his friends, family and neighbors staged a protest to bring attention to his case, holding up signs reading 'Free Michael' and 'Fix the System'
The Babbitts' attorney Trae Weingardt said the couple did not wish to see Martin go to jail.
They have insisted that they only sued their neighbor to prevent illegal construction work.
'From the Babbitts' perspective, whoever carries the blame or shares the blame, it wasn't the Babbitts,' Weingardt said.
'And all they want is the block restored to the way the law requires it to be.'
Martin and the Babbitts are due back in court at a later date.