A South Carolina business owner was threatened with 'ruinous fines and jail time' after zoning laws were changed

 A South Carolina business owner laid off three of his five employees after the city changed zoning laws and ordered him to stop offering U-Hauls to rent, according to the Institute for Justice.

Rafael Chinchilla, the owner of Tires 2 Go, a tire retailer in Simpsonville, South Carolina, was told in August 2022 to stop offering U-Haul rentals or face "ruinous fines and jail time."

The city ordered him to stop renting the vehicles and to remove all trucks and trailers within 30 days, or be fined $500 a day and even face a 30-day jail sentence.

The Institute for Justice, a nonprofit, public interest law firm, has written to city officials on Chinchilla's behalf, urging them to reconsider their "illegal attempt to weaponize zoning laws" and force the business owner to cease renting U-Hauls, per a press release...more