City Forces Woman Choosing to Live 'Off the Grid' and Not Be 'Dependent on the System' to Partially Plug In

A Florida woman who has been living "off the grid" for more than a year will be forced to partially plug in or face consequences from the city, a special magistrate ruled last week.

In December, Robin Speronis became engaged in a dispute with the city of Cape Coral for her refusal to use modern amenities such as running water and electricity. A code enforcement officer at the time visited her home and deemed it as "uninhabitable property."

“I was exercising my First Amendment rights of free speech in discussing living off the grid," Speronis said in December.

A special magistrate ruled last week that Robin Speronis will have to hook her home up to a city water supply or face the consequences. (Image source: WBBH-TV)

The legal system, however, did not agree with her assessment of the situation on Thursday.

The magistrate ruled she was guilty of not being hooked up to a proper water supply, WBBH-TV reported. She was acquitted, however, of not having a proper sewer and electrical system.

"I'm choosing to live without being dependent on the system," Speronis said.

[sharequote align="center"]"I'm choosing to live without being dependent on the system."[/sharequote]

She now has a month to comply and make the changes deemed necessary by the city, though vowed she won't do it, WBBH-TV reported.

"I don't have to justify my life. They have to. That's the way our system of justice works. They have justify it. I don't" Speronis said.

City officials, who did not immediately return a request for comment from TheBlaze, told WBBH they had no choice but to legally force her to make the changes. It was not clear, however, what consequences Speronis will face if she refuses to comply with Thursday's ruling.

"What happened here is people don't talk to us or cooperate," Frank Cassidy with Cape Coral Code Compliance said. "We don't communicate then we are forced to use the legal tools at our disposal.

"In the whole scheme of things, it's no different than the hundreds of cases we deal with all the time," he added.

It does appear that Speronis does have a criminal history. According to the Cape Coral Daily Breeze, she was found guilty of larceny and in 2012 had her real estate license revoked.

Speronis' lawyer did not immediately return a request for comment from TheBlaze Tuesday.

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