The State of Florida has charged Dan Herz with pushing a door.
Not kicking it. Not breaking it off its hinges. Pushing it “beyond its normal range of motion.” That is the sworn language. BSO Deputy Betiana Clausell’s probable cause affidavit says that on March 3, 2026, at approximately 8:45 PM, Herz “abruptly exited the building and forcefully pushed the door beyond its normal range of motion, creating a loud impact and placing stress on the internal closing mechanism.”
The building was City Hall, 150 NE 2nd Avenue. The alleged victim is the City of Deerfield Beach. Herz is the man who ran for mayor in 2025 and has spent years as the loudest critic that city government has. The government he campaigns against is now the government prosecuting him. Over a door closer.
Editor’s Note: Dan, maybe Anger Management classes?
Take Karen Burner with you for Emotional Support Douching.
Now look at the number. The city priced its door repair at $968.13 in labor and supplies. The felony line under Florida Statute 806.13 is $1,000. The invoice landed $31.87 short.
That’s two Five Guys burgers.
Two burgers between a misdemeanor and a third-degree felony. Two burgers between an arraignment and five years exposure. And here’s the part nobody at 150 NE 2nd Avenue will say out loud: a felony conviction in Florida strips your right to vote and your right to hold office until the state restores it. Two burgers of drywall and hinge parts separated the city’s loudest critic from a lifetime ban on the ballot.
Who calculated the $968.13? The alleged victim. The city priced the damage to its own door, and that price decided whether the man who runs against them gets charged as a citizen or erased as a candidate. Keep the receipt.
It was originally $1500 in damages … now, it’s been “The Price As RIGHT’ed” down to a misdemeanor?
Check the calendar too. The city noticed a Regular City Commission meeting for Tuesday, March 3, 2026, at 7:00 PM, in the chambers at 150 NE 2nd Avenue. The affidavit has Herz exiting that building at 8:45 PM. The paperwork never mentions why he was there. The math does.
Then the case crawled. Alleged push: March 3. Clausell swore her affidavit May 19, 77 days later. Assistant State Attorney Danielle Gittlin swore the Information on July 8. The clerk stamped it July 20 at 5:10 PM. That’s 139 days of state resources spent on a door that shut too loud.
The state filed on July 20, 2026. Herz’s date of birth, printed on the same charging papers: July 20, 1961. The Seventeenth Judicial Circuit charged him on his 65th birthday. No cake. Just a summons.
One more gem from the sworn record. The affidavit’s continuation page states Herz “is being charged with FSS 803.13-1b2.” The criminal mischief statute is 806.13. Clausell signed that page under penalty of perjury. The state took 139 days and cited the wrong law.
No arrest. The clerk issued a summons July 21 commanding Herz to appear for arraignment September 22 at 1:00 PM, Room 4, North Satellite Courthouse, 1600 West Hillsboro Boulevard, before Judge Kim Theresa Mollica.
Herz has been convicted of nothing. The state’s entire case, sworn and stamped, is a push, a door, and $968.13.
The door works fine. The prosecution took four and a half months. Somewhere in Deerfield Beach, a door closer got more due process than most defendants.
