Witness for the Intimidation

I asked Carter about that. He said he's spoken to just about everyone at City Hall about Lozman, who has become famous quickly in Riviera Beach.

"I'll talk to the mayor about him occasionally, and he'll say, 'How's my friend Mr. Lozman doing?'" said Carter, who's actually quite personable when he's not trying to have someone arrested. "But the mayor has never said, 'Can you get him for me?' Absolutely not. He knows better than that."

Lozman knows how to push buttons — on people and entire towns — but he swore he didn't seek out this controversy.

"I came here because it was the only place I could put my fucking boat," he said. "I pay $1,200 a month. What about these mom-and-pop people who live here? They're going to turn this place into a giant megayacht marina for only the richest people. So I could have either thrown up my hands or fight a rotten group of corrupt assholes."

He chose to fight. I told him it was an interesting couple of hours I'd spent in the middle of it with him.

"Welcome to my life," he said, a smile barely forming on his lips.